


With No Moonlight

by WasteNoTime



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Homeless, Alternate Universe - Slavery, Homelessness, M/M, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-23
Updated: 2014-02-01
Packaged: 2017-12-21 02:49:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 45
Words: 123,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/894906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WasteNoTime/pseuds/WasteNoTime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. In a world where legal slavery exists in all continents except Europe, Kurt Hummel moves back to Lima after years spent in France. The idea of owning a person disgusts him but soon he meets a boy that changes his mind. Kurt wants nothing more than to own him. slave!Blaine<br/>(also on Fanfiction.net)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Kurt, come on, we are going to be late,” a teenager currently looking through the window of his now painfully empty room heard his father’s voice and with a last glance left the place.

The room held many precious memories but it wasn’t the same now that it only had his bed and a few more pieces of furniture that were staying in the house. Once very nicely decorated room didn’t reflect his personality anymore and was as blank as the boy felt inside.

Kurt Hummel was leaving France. He had known this for a while now but it didn’t make him feel any better. He had a nice life there. His scrapbook was full of photos of him and his friends, accompanied with concert tickets, postcards, anything that held any importance to their friendship. More than one tear was shed the night Kurt looked through the book before putting it into one of the many boxes that were sent to the States later that week. He only hoped that his new scrapbook, dedicated to his new life, would be as rich of beautiful memories, as his former book was.

“We are not going to be late,” Kurt said firmly when he finally went downstairs to see his dad ready to leave. “We have plenty of time.”

“You never know what may happen on the road,” Burt Hummel said.

He was a man who liked to take precautions. If there was a chance that he could be late, he would do anything in his power to avoid such situation. Being late for their flight was something he really didn’t want to experience.

“Yeah, I’m sure there is a huge alien on the road that won’t let us pass,” Kurt smirked at his dad as they left the house and the older Hummel locked the door.

“In that case you would be happy that we left early because it would give us enough time to take another route to the airport,” Burt laughed and quickly went to their neighbour’s house to hand him the key, which would later be collected by someone from the letting agency that would be taking care of their house for as long as they wanted to rent it to strangers.

It was weird for both of them to think of other people living in their house, sleeping in their beds. Despite that, it was still better to know that one day if they wished, they could come back to their old place. Even though it wasn’t likely to happen.

Kurt moved to France at the age of nine, a few months after his mother died of cancer. Burt’s brother, who was married to a French lady and had been living in Paris for a while, invited them to stay for a bit until they recover from their loss. When they were about to go back, neither of them wanted to leave. That’s when Burt made his decision to move to Europe and soon they were building a new life far away from their home town Lima, Ohio.

Seven years passed and now they were going back. It was ironic that the death of their beloved one made them leave and now the death of another relative forced them to come back. It wasn’t like they didn’t have another choice though but when they found out that Burt’s uncle left his business to his nephew, the Hummel men had a decision to make. Since Burt wasn’t doing all too well financially, they decided to take a chance and go back to Lima to run the garage that now belonged to them.

“Well, say goodbye to our old house,” Burt forced a smile as he sat in the car behind the wheel.

“I bet you had a long chat with it,” Kurt teased his dad but his voice betrayed him.

Burt placed his hand on Kurt’s shoulder and sighed. “I know it’s hard to leave but it will be okay, I promise.”

“Did the house tell you that?” the teenager grinned hoping that his dad would drop it because he knew he would start crying if he kept his emotional speech.

The man shook his head and started the engine.

The ride to the airport was long and silent. Neither said a word as they were both lost in their thoughts, reliving the best moments of their lives in France. Just when they were boarding the plane, Kurt promised himself to make new, even better memories.

***

The flight took forever. At least that’s how it felt for Kurt. He tried to sleep but it never came and when their pilot began the landing, he was tired and his body was aching.

“Dad, wake up, we are landing,” the teenager nudged his dad and Burt slowly opened his eyes and yawned widely. “Are you trying to eat that chair in front of you?”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Burt said and tried to sit more comfortably.

“Sir, could you, please, put the seat belt on?” the stewardess asked politely when she reached them during her check-up. “Thank you.”

As the young woman left, Burt looked at his son and Kurt was surprised to see a serious look on the man’s face. “Kurt, I know we talked about this already like million times–”

“Is this about the slavery?” Kurt sighed.

“Yes. I know you are aware of the slave trade in the States but it’s one thing to read about it and totally different to see it for yourself.”

“Dad, I lived in the States, you know? I remember what it’s like,” Kurt said, trying hard not to roll his eyes at his dad. They had been through this one too many times.

“You were too young to really remember, Kurt. It’s going to be different now,” Burt said. “I just want you to come talk to me if anything upsets you, okay?”

“Like I don’t do that all the time anyway,” Kurt laughed.

One of the greatest things in his life was his relationship with his dad. His friend always said they envied him because he could talk to Burt about everything and anything. If the man didn’t understand what Kurt was going through, he would hug him and be there for him at that moment and later he would go on the internet, read some articles or blogs of teenagers’ until he could offer an advice to his son. The memory of coming out to his dad was the one he always remembered with fondness in his heart.

_“Let’s order pizza,” Burt suggested one evening._

_Kurt was fourteen year old then and he had been building his courage to tell his dad that he felt attracted to men, not women. He knew his dad had a big heart and loved him but he had read many stories on the internet where parents stopped loving their children after they came out of the closet._

_“Do you want a veggie or a meaty one?”_

_It wasn’t how Kurt had planned to do it but he couldn’t hold it anymore and just blurted it out. “I’m gay.”_

_“A meaty it is,” Burt said and closed the delivery menu._

_Kurt almost choked at his response and tears started running down his face._

_“Now you listen to me,” his dad said looking straight at him. “You get yourself a boyfriend, you bring him here so I can see if he’s good enough for you. Understood?”_

_The teenager nodded and hiccupped._

_“Though I don’t think any guy would ever be good enough for you. You are too good for all of them,” Burt said and wrapped his arms around Kurt’s shaking body. “I love you, kiddo.”_

_“L-love you too,” Kurt managed through his sobs._

_That night Burt could hear his son crying in his bed and Kurt could hear an old computer in the study running loudly as his dad slowly typed something from time to time. Neither got any sleep that night._

“Did we ever have a slave while we lived in Lima?” Kurt asked after a while, when the plane landed and began to slow down.

“No. Your mother didn’t believe in slave trade and neither did I,” he said and there was a silence between them for a moment. “Kurt, have you ever wanted to own a slave?”

Kurt instantly shook his head. “Never.”

Little did he know that soon he would.


	2. Chapter 2

**November 23, 2012**

Luckily for the Hummel men the luggage claim didn’t take a long time. Their suitcases were one of the first ones to come out on the belt so they left the airport building very quickly. Hiring a car went smoothly as well since Burt had filled in an online application a few days before they left. Despite the tiredness, their trip was going on well so far.

“Maybe we should get something to eat,” Burt suggested when they began to drive away from the airport. “There must be a decent diner somewhere on the way.”

“A diner? Like, one of those that they show in movies?” Kurt asked, trying to cover his excitement but failing miserably.

He couldn’t remember ever eating in such place when he was a kid and whenever he saw a typical American diner in movies, he was always curious what it would be like. He always joked that it was in his blood to want such thing.

“I’ll take it as an affirmative,” Burt laughed and stopped in front of the zebra crossing to let some pedestrians cross the road.

“Well, you can’t blame me! I’ve been hungry for a while now,” Kurt replied with a blush.

“I told you to eat on the plane.”

“I wasn’t _hungry_ then.”

“Yeah, sure, it had nothing to do with that cute guy sitting next to you, right?” Burt teased him as he began to drive again.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Kurt said looking through the window at the passing buildings.

Burt made an agreeing sound. “I bet he found it really hot listening to your growling stomach.”

“Dad!”

“What?” Burt asked innocently.

“Urgh, fine, I didn’t want him to see me stuffing my face. I felt… self-conscious. I mean, he was cute and… God, I don’t know what I was thinking…”

The man looked at his son for a moment to see him all embarrassed and went back to watching the road intently. “How about we go to the first diner we see and stuff our faces with some burgers and milkshakes and forget all about boy problems?”

“You have boy problems?”

“Yeah. Namely, Kurt Hummel,” Burt said and Kurt stuck his tongue at his dad.

“I see I raised you well.”

***

They stopped at the diner called ‘Rosie’s’ fifteen minutes after their friendly banter. It was just like Kurt imagined a diner to be. There was a counter with stools behind which two waitresses were taking orders and making coffee. By the windows there were red booths where you could get slightly more privacy than while sitting in front of the working waitresses.

“Well, did it live up to your expectations?” Burt asked as he slid behind a table.

Kurt sat down in front of him and grabbed the menu. “The place is just how I imagined it to be. Hopefully the food will be good too.”

They took their time looking through the menus and in the end Kurt couldn’t decide what he wanted to try first. By the time the waitress came, they still couldn’t order so Burt asked for some coffee first.

“Are you ready?” the same girl came up to them again.

“Um, I’ll have a beef burger and a banana milkshake,” Kurt read from the menu, hoping that he had made a smart choice.

“Alright,” the girl wrote it down. “And for you, sir?”

Burt cleared his throat and pointed at the menu. “Beef burger with extra cheese and a chocolate milkshake.”

“Great. I’ll be back as soon as your order is ready,” the waitress said and left.

“So… what was that about you being too self-conscious to eat in front of the cute guy?” Burt asked once they were left alone.

“Dad, can we just forget it?” Kurt whined, hiding his face in his hands.

“No, I need to know what is going on in that styled head of yours.”

“My _hair_ is styled, not _head_ …”

“Okay, so what’s going on in your hair?” Burt asked with a smirk.

Kurt glared at the man. “You are unbelievable. I have no idea how I grew up to be the way I am now since it’s _you_ who raised me.”

Burt faked a shocked look on his face. “I think you just insulted me!”

“I think I did,” Kurt laughed folding a napkin just to have something to do with his fingers.

At that time a bell announced that another customer came into the diner and Kurt could hear a male voice ordering a cup of coffee to take away. Kurt looked up and saw a black tattoo around his right wrist. He tensed and Burt followed his vision.

“Kurt–” he began.

“It’s okay,” the teenager forced a smile. “So, my boy problems…”

Burt watched his son for a moment but decided to drop it as his boy clearly didn’t want to talk about what he had just seen. “Alright, spill.”

“Well, I wanted to make a good impression on him, you know. Because that’s how relationships work. In the beginning you are a proper gentleman and when the guy falls in love with you, you can start to ease him into your insanity. Then there is no way back because he already worships you and will put up with your bad eating habits. It’s like a perfect plan.”

“Aha, and what happens when you go on a dinner date?” Burt asked sipping his coffee.

“That’s the tricky part because you need to find some really good excuses to avoid dinners. Or you can go to those expensive restaurants where you pay loads of money and get a piece of meat that is smaller when your finger.”

“Sounds reasonable,” Burt agreed and they both couldn’t hold any longer and burst in laughter. “One day you are going to kill me.”

They were still trying to catch their breaths when the waitress brought their food and drinks. They thanked her and were about to eat when Kurt saw the man from before leaving with the coffee. Moments later he was out and a female voice could be heard from outside.

“What took you so long? You can’t do anything properly!” a woman shouted and there was a slapping noise.

The last giggles in their booth died and Burt squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. “Let’s eat, you must be starving and I’ve been wondering if the burgers are as good as I remember,” he forced a smile and they started to eat, neither of them feeling particularly hungry anymore.

***

They finished eating and after paying for the food they left the diner, Kurt feeling the lack of sleep crashing onto him. Less than five minutes after they began driving, he was out cold.

In his dream Kurt was back in the diner but instead of the man he saw earlier, there was his dad with the tattoo on his wrist. When he left, Kurt followed him outside and a woman was about to slap him. Thankfully, that’s when the teenager woke up abruptly.

“Oh, sorry,” he heard his dad’s voice. “I didn’t notice the light turning red on time.”

“It’s okay,” Kurt yawned and looked through the window.

“We are already in Lima, by the way. We should reach our new house very soon according to the GPS.”

Kurt didn’t respond as his sleepy brain needed a long time to catch up with what was happening. Instead he watched people crossing the road in front of them. Soon he wished he was still in his nightmare because the sight of reality in front of him made his heart ache.

A boy was crossing the street. He had facial hair and the skin, which was not covered with hair or hid by the long dark curls, was obviously dirty but despite all that Kurt could see that he was a teenager, not older than eighteen year old. He was wearing nothing but dirty torn jeans and a t-shirt. It was almost December and he must have been freezing, especially judging by the way he had his arms wrapped around himself. What was even worse, he had no shoes on his feet.

“Don’t look,” Burt said, his eyes fixed on the traffic light.

Against his better judgement Kurt continued staring as the boy slowly made his way across the street, his thin legs carrying him with difficulty. When the car moved, Kurt turned around to get a better look but soon Burt turned to the right and he could no longer see the boy.

***

Their navigation system didn’t lie and soon they were pulling over their new fully-furnished house. They had a rent contract for a year and at any point they could buy it if they wanted to because the owner was renting it until someone decided to buy the property.

There was another car there waiting for them already and as soon as they got out of the car, a man approached them.

“Mr Hummel, I assume?” he asked with a big smile and an extended hand.

“That would be me,” Burt said and shook his hand.

Both men began talking about formalities and Kurt wandered off, looking around. Soon the man unlocked the house and gave them a tour. After half an hour or so he left and Kurt found himself in his dad’s arms.

“Welcome home, kiddo.”

“Welcome home, dad.”

As they began to unpack the necessities that were in their suitcases, Kurt had so much to do that he totally forgot the barefoot boy from before.


	3. Chapter 3

**November 24, 2012**

Kurt was shaking. Or maybe the world was shaking, he wasn’t sure. He didn’t care anyway. All that mattered was the warmth around him that made him feel really happy.

“Bud, wake up,” he heard a voice from somewhere far away and the shaking began again.

The teenager groaned and lifted his head from the pillow, his eyes opening just a little. He was disorientated and it took a while for him to understand that it was his dad who was leaning over him, his hand shaking his shoulder. Kurt looked at the man for a couple of seconds and lowered his head on the pillow again, feeling the sleep taking over again.

“No going back to sleep,” Burt said and once again Kurt’s body shook.

Kurt made an indistinct noise and rubbed his face hard into the pillow. “What’s the time?” he asked when he finally lifted his head again, this time with a bit more consciousness.

“Half past eight. Now get up. Up, up, up.”

“Half past eight? I _just_ fell asleep,” Kurt whined but sat up in the bed, trying hard to keep his eyes open.

“I’m sorry but we have loads to do this weekend,” Burt said and went to the door, ready to leave the room. “Besides, we need to fight the jet lag and forcing yourself to get up at a normal hour should help.”

Kurt stood up and stretched his stiff muscles. “You are way too cheerful for a person with a jet lag, you know.”

“Well, it’s not me who spent most of the car trip sleeping.”

“That was a mistake,” Kurt said and went to the bathroom at the same time as Burt left the room.

The bathroom, just like the whole house, was empty, without a personal touch and Kurt couldn’t wait for the moving company to bring their stuff so he could begin making the house look like a place where actual people lived. He also had a plan to go to the mall, which they passed by when they arrived a day before. If he was lucky, they would have a nice shop with interior items.

After brushing his teeth Kurt stepped into the shower and decided it would be for the best to have a cold shower hoping that it would help him clear his head. Unfortunately, it didn’t help and on his way downstairs after getting dressed he was just as sleepy.

“Coffee?” Burt offered with a smirk as soon as he saw his son entering the kitchen.

“One litre, please,” Kurt managed and watched his dad pour the heavenly liquid into a medium size mug with cows.

“I’m making toast,” the man said proudly.

Luckily for them a small grocery shop nearby was still open when they went looking for a place to buy food the day before so they bought stuff that would help them last through the weekend. On Monday they were planning to go to a proper supermarket to fill their fridge and cupboards.

“No, you are burning toast,” Kurt said and sipped his coffee.

Burt turned around and saw two blackened pieces of toast jump out of the toaster. “Oh come on…” he groaned and threw the pieces into the trash bin. “I can’t wait for our toaster to arrive.”

“Speaking of which, do you know when we are getting our stuff?” the teenager asked and went to play with the settings of the toaster.

“I got a call earlier in the morning,” Burt said and sat down on a kitchen chair as Kurt began to make breakfast. “They should be here in two hours or so.”

“You could have let me sleep a bit longer then!” Kurt frowned.

“I was thinking that maybe, if you wanted to, we could go visit your mother after breakfast.”

Kurt felt a lump forming in his throat at the mention of the trip to the graveyard. Of course he wanted to go, he had been dreaming of visiting his mother’s grave for years, especially during the most important dates like her birthday, mother’s day, or her death anniversary.

“I’d love to,” he said and put the finished pieces of toast on the plate.

They ate slowly, planning how it would be most efficient to unpack and where they could store the unopened boxes until those were ready to be dealt with. With every mouthful of coffee Kurt felt more and more awake and although he wasn’t at his full capacity, his mind was working well enough to help his dad brainstorm.

Once they finished eating, Kurt washed the dishes, changed into proper clothes, and soon they were sitting in the car, which they would have to bring back to the rental company on Tuesday. As they drove through the town, he looked around to see what kind of shops Lima had. It wasn’t until Kurt saw someone crawling with a leash on a person’s neck that was held by a man, that the boy decided to focus on his phone instead and sent a message to a group chat to his friends in France.

Kurt didn’t know what he had expected. At school they learned about slavery, it was nothing new to him. And when he found out they would be moving back to Lima, he researched a bit more and saw many photos and videos, and also read various stories. Still, seeing a man on a leash so close to him was different because now he was painfully aware that it all actually existed, it wasn’t just a story to scare kids from misbehaving.

When the message was sent the teenager began to look through his photo gallery just so he would have something to look at. He thought he was doing a better job at pretending but obviously he didn’t because soon Burt broke the silence.

“You won’t be able to ignore it forever,” he sighed. “I know I told you not to look yesterday but maybe it was a bad advice. If you don’t get exposed to these images, you will never get used to them.”

“That’s the thing, dad, I don’t want to _get used to_ them. It’s not something that people should see as a normal thing. It’s wrong and I’d rather not see it at all.”

“I know, Kurt, I know… Maybe one day the world is going to change.”

Kurt nodded but didn’t say anything. The rest of the drive was silent and not long after their conversation they were parking their car by the graveyard. They got out of the car and as soon as Burt locked it, they began to walk to the grave that Kurt could hardly remember but it seemed like Burt knew his way.

The day was chilly and the coffee had kicked in while driving so now Kurt was fully awake, his heart beating fast as they got closer and closer to his mother’s resting place that he had visited so few times in his life.

Burt who was walking in front of Kurt stopped and the boy followed his gaze to the tombstone that had his mother’s name on. They stood in front of it without a word, both deep in their thoughts, Kurt’s tears running freely down his face. To comfort him Burt placed his hand on the teenager’s shoulder and Kurt leaned into the touch until his head was resting on his dad’s shoulder.

“I miss her so much,” Kurt cried.

“Me too,” Burt said, rubbing Kurt’s upper arm. “But at least now we are closer to her and you can come visit her whenever you want.”

The boy let out a shaky breath. “You are right.”

They stayed there for a few more minutes until Kurt calmed down and Burt suggested going home. And while it wasn’t a home just yet, they knew that soon they would make it feel like it.

The drive back was filled with some banter as Kurt brought up the topic of a makeover for Burt.

“I’m just saying that nobody knows you here and you can be whoever you want and wear whatever you want. Everyone will think it’s your normal style anyway. It’s a great opportunity to start fresh,” Kurt reasoned, tired of seeing his dad in plaid.

“There are a few people in Lima that I know. Besides, I’m comfortable with what I’m wearing.”

Kurt sighed defeated once again in this ongoing war. “You would think that someone who has lived in France for so many years would have a better taste in clothing.”

“What about you though? Are _you_ going to change your style?” Burt teased Kurt, knowing the answer already.

“My style is perfect,” they both said in unison, Burt mocking the teenager.

“Unbelievable,” Kurt muttered to himself, but loud enough for his dad to hear.

“Let’s make a deal,” Burt suggested and Kurt perked up. “I’ll let you give me a makeover if…”

“If?”

“…if you let me give you one,” the man said with a devilish smirk.

Kurt glared at his dad. “It’s unfair, you knew I would say no.”

“All is fair in war and clothing.”

“Agreed.”

Finally they reached the house before Kurt even realised they were in their street. The moving van was still not there so they entered the house and went to their respective bedrooms to change into more comfortable clothes. After spending his morning in tight jeans, Kurt felt relief once he got into his sweatpants and an oversized hoodie.

Half an hour later both Hummels and people from the moving company were walking into and out of the house numerous times until all their belongings settled in various rooms. Burt tipped the men and the van left. He went into the living room where Kurt was staring at the boxes scattered around the place.

“Let the fun begin,” Burt said and opened the first box.


	4. Chapter 4

**November 26, 2012**

“You can do it. You are Kurt Hummel and there is nothing you can’t do. You will be great. Students will like you, teachers will love you. Everything is going to be just fine.”

Burt peeked through the door. “Should I be taking you to an asylum instead? I mean, talking to yourself is the first sign of madness,” he smirked.

Kurt growled and grabbed his bag, ready to go downstairs. “I wasn’t talking to _myself_ myself. I said those things to my reflection in the mirror,” the teenager said as they went into the kitchen.

“And how is it any better? Still seems pretty crazy to me,” Burt shrugged.

“It’s because you are old and don’t understand anything,” Kurt teased his dad and began to make toast for breakfast. “We have got to buy real food sometime soon. Otherwise I’ll go crazy.”

“Already are…”

“I heard that.”

“Because I said it out loud.”

“You know, sometimes I wish I was a normal teenager whose parent wasn’t less mature than he himself,” Kurt said and placed the toasts on the table next to two glasses of juice that his dad had gotten ready for them. “Just imagine, you come back from work too tired to even talk to me and when I mess up you just ground me, end of the story. Wouldn’t it just be great?”

“Yeah, no, where is fun in that?” Burt asked and took a bite of his breakfast. “However, sometimes I wish I had a normal teenage son. Imagine, you come back from a wild party, drunk and smelling of cigarettes. In the morning you are dying of hangover. Wouldn’t _that_ be great?”

“Very much so,” Kurt smirked.

They continued eating in silence, the teenager observing the place just to have something to take his mind off going to a new school. The kitchen was still a mess. Of course it was better than yesterday in the morning but it could have been much worse. There were a few small boxes with unopened appliances but those were not the vital ones so they decided to take care of the more important stuff first.

“So what’s the plan for this week?” Kurt asked his dad when they were finishing with breakfast.

“I’ll go to work, you’ll go to school,” Burt sad and placed the plate into the sink.

“Oh really? Geez, who could have thought?”

“I know, right? Apart from that we will need to do some grocery shopping today and I need to find someone to help me return the rented car. And we also need to buy two cars this week because I’m so not driving you to places all the time.”

“Dad, there is public transport for that…” Kurt said but he was cheering inside since he couldn’t wait to get a car.

“You? In a public transport? Oh please, I would get to listen to you complaining about it all the time,” Burt said. “I think I’m better off just buying you a not-so-expensive car.”

“Um, yeah, that’s true,” Kurt laughed and they left the house.

***

Throughout the whole ride to school Kurt felt like he was sitting on needles. He kept moving in his seat, thinking of all the worst scenarios in his head where people didn’t talk to him, where he made a fool of himself in front of a class, or got lost.

“Will you stop?” Burt finally had enough. “You’ll do just fine. You are a likeable person.”

“I’m a mid-term transfer. Everyone knows everyone and they have their friends and social circles. And I’m this outsider…”

“You are a transfer student from _France_. That’s pretty exotic, don’t you think? I’m sure it counts for something,” the man tried to calm his son.

However, his attempts were not successful. “Oh god, I’ll be this _exotic_ freak… Everyone is going to stare at me and– Oh no, go back, I need to change my clothes. Why did I wear this in the first place? I’m so stupid!”

“Sorry, kiddo, there is no time for that. Besides, you look okay so stop freaking out,” Burt said and Kurt saw the school building appear in their sight. “Do you want to make an awesome entrance by jumping out of a moving car?”

The look Kurt gave him was enough for an answer.

***

Luckily some sort of deity was on Kurt’s side because the boy easily found the administration office, got everything sorted out, and found his locker and later the right classroom with no difficulties. Originally he thought it would take much longer so by the time he got into the classroom, he still had some time to kill and nobody was there. After a few minutes he began to doubt if it was the right place after all but then a couple of students walked in and he got worried for other reasons.

“You are in my seat, white boy,” he heard and looked up to see a girl staring at him.

“I’m sorry, um, black girl?” he offered and stood up, gathering his stuff quickly.

“African-American, you racist,” she frowned but after a moment started laughing. “You should have seen your face! Priceless!”

Kurt relaxed a bit and forced a fake laugh. “You scared me a little bit,” he admitted. _More like, I have never been more scared in my entire life._

“Consider it your initiation,” the girl said. “I’m Mercedes Jones and you can come sit next to me.”

Without waiting for his reply Mercedes went to the back of the classroom and sat down. She patted the seat next to her and Kurt walked over to join her.

“I thought _that_ was your seat,” he said gesturing the table he was sitting at in the beginning.

“I lied but it’s actually taken and you don’t want to deal with Rick the Stick this early in the morning,” Mercedes said and began to prepare for the class. “No, scratch that, you _never_ want to deal with Rick the Prick.”

“Not his fan?” Kurt asked with a smile, relaxing a bit at the girl’s presence, feeling that maybe he was about to make a new friend.

“Never ever,” Mercedes shook her head and gave him her full attention now that she was all set to start the class. “Say, aren’t you that French transfer?”

“I’m American but I lived in France, yes,” he said and watched his fellow student frown. “I’m Kurt, by the way, in case you were wondering.”

“Not really. So what are you doing in a Spanish class? Shouldn’t you be taking French? You could ace that baby.”

Kurt shrugged. He had been thinking of taking an easy credit but on the other hand it was useless for him and he did want to learn something new. And knowing yet another foreign language may be useful in the future.

“Thought I would go for something more challenging,” he supplied as a man, who looked like he could be a teacher, entered the classroom.

“That’s Mr. Schue, our Spanish teacher,” Mercedes confirmed his suspicions. “He thinks he is cool and funny but you will soon find out that he’s not.”

“Okay, class, let’s begin.”

***

Soon the class was over and Kurt felt anxious again. He wasn’t sure where he stood with Mercedes. The boy had no idea if they were acquainted enough for him to ask her to show the way to his next class. However, luck was still on his side.

“So, I saw you checking your timetable earlier and you are with me in English,” Mercedes said when they were leaving the room. “We have to hurry because I need to introduce you to my friend Rachel before the class starts. You are going to love her, I’m sure of it.”

A genuine smile appeared on Kurt’s face. After worrying so much about his first day at a new school, it was proving to be a great experience so far.


	5. Chapter 5

**November 26, 2012**

Walking down the corridor with Mercedes to their next class appeared to be quite interesting. The girl pointed out some classrooms and people and shared some gossip about them. By the time they reached English classroom, Kurt knew more about his newest classmates than he ever did about people in his school back in France.

They entered the classroom just to hear the scream of a banshee. “’Cedes! You won’t believe what happened!”

Mercedes chuckled next to Kurt and went to hug the girl. “Hey, Rachel, sorry but your news will have to wait. First of all, let me introduce you to the fresh meat – Kurt from France. Kurt, this is my friend Rachel I told you about.”

Kurt smiled at the over-excited girl. “Hi, nice to meet you.”

Rachel beamed at him and extended her hand for Kurt to shake. “Rachel Berry, pleasure.”

Kurt laughed inwardly at such formal introduction but nevertheless, shook the girl’s hand. Mercedes gestured to the end of the classroom and they all went there to get ready for the class.

“Okay, Rach, spit it out.”

The girl took a deep breath to dramatically prolong the silence. “My dads are getting me a slave for my birthday!” she shouted and began to jump in place.

“Holy shit, that’s amazing! Congrats!” Mercedes shouted back with a surprised but happy look on her face and hugged the girl tightly. “We have to choose you a good one.”

Throughout their short exchange Kurt remained silent, pretending to text someone. It was an unfamiliar context for him. He couldn’t understand how somebody could be this happy because they were allowed to ruin someone’s life. And choosing ‘a good one’ made his stomach turn. They talked about a person like he talked to his dad about some steak in a shop.

“Kurt, you look like you have a fine eye for men,” Rachel turned to him once she was out of her friend’s embrace. “Will you help me choose a hottie?”

“Excuse me?” Kurt choked.

“Please, you scream ‘gay’, no need to pretend. Though you might want to tone it down since people here are not fond of gays. Just so you know,” Rachel winked at him. “So, anyway, I propose, we go to Lima Bean on Friday after school for coffee and look online for a nice piece of ass. How does that sound?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Mercedes grinned at them and both girls stared at Kurt for his response.

Luckily, the teacher entered the classroom and he didn’t have to answer just yet. He needed an excuse and a good one. He did want to hang out with them and have coffee but he really didn’t want to get involved in their appalling activity. Maybe they would do it earlier and then on Friday he wouldn’t need to give his opinion? He couldn’t pass an opportunity to make new friends though so whatever happened he decided to go out with the girls.

The class went quickly and it wasn’t as difficult as Kurt had anticipated before. It wasn’t challenging at all and left him time to daydream about his friends back in France. He sure did miss them.

“So, Kurt, how does that coffee sound?” Rachel asked him when they began to pack.

“Coffee sounds good but I don’t think I’ll be able to help a lot with… um, choosing a person for you, I don’t have any experience in that,” he mumbled somewhat apologetically.

“Not a person, a slave,” Mercedes corrected him. “And you don’t need any experience. We will go on this website for the new merchandise and you will just have to say ‘hot’ or ‘not’, that’s all.”

Rachel nodded enthusiastically. “I want people to be jealous of me when they see it so I need more than one person’s opinion,” she said and they began to walk out of the classroom.

Kurt didn’t let it slip how Rachel called a slave ‘it’ but didn’t comment on that, just plastered a fake smile on his face. “Yeah, um, I could do that,” he said lamely hoping that he wouldn’t really need to.

“Do you have a slave, Kurt?” Mercedes asked.

It took him his whole willpower not to show his disgust at the thought. “No, um… not yet,” he finished and cringed at his words, not sure what made him lie. _As if dad would ever let me own a slave. Scratch that, I would never want one._

“You just moved from France, right?” Rachel asked even though she already knew the answer. “What is it like to live without a slave? Must be quite difficult. I mean, you have to do everything by yourself!”

Kurt opened his mouth but Mercedes beat him to that. “I can’t imagine my life without mine. I remember when I had to do homework by myself. It really sucked.”

_Are you fucking kidding me?_

“It wasn’t difficult, to be honest,” he said as the girls walked him to his next class, which was calculus. “You are just used to it, I guess.”

“When are your parents getting you one? We could help you out! We know how to pick a good one from the info given on their profiles,” Rachel said. “Unless, you would want to buy a used one. I don’t know how that works, we never had a second-hand slave…”

“Oh, thanks for the offer but I don’t think my dad will get me one any time soon,” Kurt said quickly. “You see, I kind of got into trouble back in France so he is pretty angry with me. So yeah, no slave for me.”

“That’s a shame,” Mercedes looked at him with sympathy. “Maybe I could lend you mine for a day. Your dad would see how much easier your life would be with a slave and change his mind. That might do a trick.”

The boy shook his head. “No, he won’t give in that easily. I will just live the way I used to. And if I behave, maybe one day he will reward me.”

_Which is never._

“Let us know if he changes his mind,” Mercedes asked him and stopped by the door to another classroom. “This where we leave you. I feel sorry for you, calculus is horrible.”

“I kind of like it,” Kurt admitted.

“I don’t know how that’s possible,” Rachel laughed. “Okay, we should go now. Oh, and come sit with us during lunch, okay?”

Kurt promised to join them during his free period and entered the classroom, relieved to finally be left alone. He didn’t feel comfortable around the girls but maybe he just needed time to warm up to them. Also, he had to make sure to always change the subject as soon as they started talking about slaves.

***

It didn’t take long for Kurt to find the cafeteria once his class was over. It seemed that most people were headed that way and he just followed the crowd. When he finally reached the place and stood in the queue with a tray in his hands he heard his name being shouted.

“Hey, Kurt, over here!” he heard an already familiar voice and looked up to see Rachel waving at him from the front of the line. “Come join us.”

He didn’t really want to jump the queue but the girls may get a wrong impression if he didn’t so ignoring his manners Kurt walked over to them with a small smile.

“How was your class?” he asked looking at what was being served.

“It was okay, boring as always,” Mercedes said, getting herself some tots.

Rachel grabbed his arm and dragged him further along. “Let’s get some fruit salad,” she said and asked the catering lady for two bowls of fruits.

“Actually, I was thinking of getting–” Kurt began but Mercedes stopped him.

“Okay, as your new friend, I’ll break it to you – you can’t pull off extra pounds. Me? I look fabulous the way I am but you should get rid of all that extra weight. Not pretty.”

“Don’t worry, Kurt, we’ll help you,” Rachel cut in. “We can be on a diet together, it’s much easier that way.”

He didn’t need a diet, he was of a healthy weight and his metabolism was fast enough for him to eat anything he wanted. However, before he could argue, the girls dragged him to a table and he didn’t want to stand in the long queue so he decided he could deal with a fruit salad for one day.

Neither of them went back to the slave topic because there was some new rumour floating around the school and Kurt felt grateful for whoever spread it so he could have a decent conversation that didn’t include lying. This time he felt good chatting with the girls.

After that he didn’t see either Mercedes or Rachel since they didn’t have any more classes together. He made some small talk with a few of his new classmates but none of them seemed too interested in the new kid.

His last class was home economics and it was by far the most fun class. They baked chocolate chip cookies and he got an A+ for the most delicious batch of the class. Proud of himself he put a few cookies into a small plastic box, sure that his dad would appreciate some dessert after dinner.

Overall his day was alright and the last class was a delight so he exited the school reasonably happy despite the fact that the class ran late due to the time it took for the cookies to finish baking.

The only downside was that until he got a car he would have to either walk home or take a bus since his dad was still at work when the school ended. Still, Kurt didn’t let that ruin his mood and walked to the bus stop.

He almost reached the stop when a shop window caught his eye. It was a bread shop and advertised having French bread. Kurt made a mental note to come check it out one day and turned his head to see where he was walking and saw a boy walking towards him with his head lowered. It was too late to step aside and their bodies collided.

Kurt almost fell at the strength of their impact but managed to balance himself and stay on foot. The boy, on the other hand, wasn’t that lucky and fell on his butt. He looked up, fear in his eyes and before Kurt could say anything, spoke to him.

“I’m sorry, Sir, please, I didn’t mean to,” he said frantically and lowered his head respectfully, coming onto his knees quickly. “Please, I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Kurt said, taking in the boy’s appearance.

He was thin, wearing clothes that were too big for his body and too thin for the cold weather. His skin was dirty and face covered with a short uneven beard indicating that not long ago he had managed to somehow shave it. Kurt could see that he was wearing no shoes or socks, the sleeves of his top were too short and Kurt could see a tattoo around his right wrist, telling the world that the boy in front of him was a slave. His behaviour said the same.

“Please, Sir,” the boy pleaded and Kurt had no idea what he was asking.

“Listen,” Kurt said gently and ducked, trying to be at an eye level to the slave in front of him, “it was all my fault. I wasn’t looking and I’m sorry for hurting you.”

The boy shivered, either from fear or from cold, Kurt didn’t know. “You… are not angry?” he asked in a small voice and Kurt wanted to cry at how this boy was scared of _him_.

“Not at all,” Kurt smiled at him even though the boy was looking at the ground, not at him. “Um, is it comfortable for you on the ground? We could stand up if you wanted.”

“If that pleases you, Sir,” the boy said but didn’t move.

Kurt looked at the unmoving figure and it took a moment for him to realise that the boy was actually asking him. “Ah, yeah, it… pleases me,” he said awkwardly and stood up to show an example to the boy.

The boy followed his lead and stood up as well. He was shorter than Kurt but a mop of dark curls on his head made them look of a similar height.

“So, how about I prove to you that I’m not angry?” Kurt offered, as an idea hit him. He was sure if he was an animated character a light bulb would have appeared over his head.

Kurt saw the boy frown but other than that he didn’t show any sign that he had heard Kurt’s words.

“Alright then,” the teenager said and opened his bag where a box with warm cookies lay on top of his stuff. Kurt carefully took it out and extended to the boy. “I made these today. They are still very warm so you should probably wait until they get cold before you eat them.”

“Sir?” the boy uttered confused.

“This is my apology for making you fall,” Kurt said and gently took the boy’s hand, turned it over and placed the box on it. “I got an A+ for them so they are quite nice. I hope you like them.”

The words must have failed the boy because he just stood there looking at the box in his hand, moving his lips as if to say something but nothing left his mouth. Kurt wanted to encourage him to open the box but at that time his bus arrived and he had no time left.

“So, I’ll see you around,” he said with a smile and got into the bus before the boy could respond.

Kurt went to the end of the bus and sat down by the window. Right before the bus began to move, he saw the boy taking a tentative bite of a warm cookie.


	6. Chapter 6

**November 26, 2012**

During the drive home Kurt couldn’t stop thinking about the boy from the bus stop. He couldn’t have been much older than Kurt himself and it made the teenager want to cry. He could easily imagine himself, roaming the streets with a hope of somebody showing some kindness. No, he wouldn’t let himself think of that.

The bus stopped at a stop that Kurt had indicated as the closest to his house earlier and the boy got out on an unfamiliar street. He looked at the map placed on the booth to locate himself and calculated that he still had more or less five minutes to walk. It’s not that he didn’t like to exercise, but he did wish he had a car to make his commute easier. At the thought, guilt washed over him; he had just seen a boy who had to walk around barefoot and here he was, complaining about walking for a few minutes in his warm designer boots.

On his way home Kurt kept replaying his encounter with the boy in his head. He went through several different dialogues, came up with better things he could have said. For starters, he could have introduced himself and asked the boy his name. He would have made the poor kid feel like a human being _and_ he would know some other way to refer to him rather than just “the boy.” He could also stop the slave from calling him ‘sir’ but instead he let him refer to him as an authority figure. The more Kurt thought about it, the worse it all seemed to have been. By the time he reached his new house, he had decided to apologise to the boy the next time he saw him.

Kurt entered the building, knowing that it would be empty, and took off his shoes and the coat. It still didn’t feel like home, not that he expected it to happen so soon. Especially since there were so many unopened boxes lying all over the place. Boxes that needed to be taken care of and since he still had time before he had to start making dinner, the teenager went to his room to change into something more comfortable for work. He hoped that having something to do would take his mind off his encounter earlier.

Unfortunately, he made a mistake by opening his laptop because a new skype message instantly caught his attention and all his plans went out of the windows since his best friend was online and Kurt spent the afternoon chatting with him about the moving and how the things were back in Paris. It was quite saddening because Kurt realised that he had missed so much already in a couple of days and it would only get worse with time. He just hoped that they wouldn’t lose the contact like it commonly happened among people. He dared to believe that their friendship was stronger than that.

Time passed quickly and Kurt didn’t even notice when it was time to start cooking dinner and when it was time for his dad to come back. Only when he heard the door being unlocked, he realised that he hadn’t done anything.

“Kurt? You home?” he heard his dad shout and hurried to go downstairs.

“Dad, hi,” Kurt said running passed the man into the kitchen.

“What’s on fire?” Burt asked with a chuckle. “Not the dinner, right? Right?”

Kurt wasn’t in the mood to joke and went straight to the fridge to look for something fast to cook. “I’m sorry, dad, Gérard skyped me and we had so much to talk about and I totally ignored the clock,” the teen explained himself grabbing a box of pasta from the cupboard. “Aha! Quick and easy. Go get ready and I will start on dinner.”

Burt shook his head, watching his son walking around the kitchen frantically. “You worry too much, son,” he said and went upstairs.

Pasta was already boiling in a big pot when his dad came back and poured a glass of water for himself.

“How was work?” Kurt asked and sat down on a chair from which he could still keep an eye on the pot.

“It was good, actually. Everything seems in order, paperwork was done well. And this guy agreed to help with the rented car tomorrow,” Burt explained and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Great to hear that. How does it feel to be the big boss?”

“Weird, I’m not used to giving orders but I’ll have to get used to it. How was school?”

_Oh right, I went to school today._

“School was better than I expected,” Kurt said truthfully after a moment. “I met these two girls – Mercedes and Rachel – and they invited me to have coffee with them on Friday,” he added but didn’t feel the need to tell his dad what was the reason behind the hanging out.

“That’s great,” Burt said enthusiastically. “I told you there was nothing to worry about.”

“Yeah, you were right,” Kurt said and went to check on the pasta. For some reason he didn’t want to tell his dad about the boy he had met that day.

***

After dinner it was time for the men to finally go grocery shopping since they couldn’t live on toast and pasta for too long. In the end they came back home with three big bags full of food and Kurt went to the kitchen to sort it out. When he was done he found his dad in front of the TV, watching football.

“I’ll go do homework now,” he told Burt. “If you need anything just yell.”

“Okay but I don’t think it will be necessary. I’ll just finish the game and go to bed. I need to leave really early tomorrow,” the man said from the armchair.

“How early are we talking about?” Kurt enquired.

“Let’s just say, you will still be in bed,” Burt said and something interesting must have happened in the game since he suddenly leaned closer to the TV.

“Night, dad,” Kurt said with a smile.

“Night. Yes!”

Without another word the boy went upstairs and took out the books of the classes he needed to do homework for. He knew it wouldn’t take long for him so there was no rush. However, he was already getting really sleepy so he decided not to waste any more time and went straight to the calculus problems. He was almost finished when his dad knocked on the door and opened it when Kurt told him to come in.

“Hey, open the curtains,” the man said and Kurt stared at him for a moment before doing what he was told to. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

It was, it really was beautiful. It was dark outside, just the moonlight and some lights in other houses let him see anything. What made it so special was a cloud of tiniest snowflakes slowly falling from the sky.

“It is,” Kurt said in a small voice.

“Impressed, huh?” Burt misinterpreted his reaction. “Wear something warm tomorrow, it’s gonna be cold.”

With that the man left and Kurt just stared through the window. His dad was right, it would be really cold tomorrow, especially if it didn’t stop snowing. For the first time in his life, Kurt hated snow.

_Don’t think. Focus on your homework. Yeah, homework…_

He somehow managed to finish up with his calculus homework but every now and then he got distracted by the sight outside and the images of a lonely boy curled up somewhere in an alley.

It took his whole will power to get halfway through his history homework but at the fifth question he was supposed to answer, his eyes got too heavy.

_I’ll just close them for a few seconds._

Closing his eyes Kurt put his head on his hands and didn’t even feel his elbows slipping over the surface of the table as his body lowered onto it.

 _It was dark and cold and Kurt could hardly see anything through the blizzard. He kept walking_ _down the empty street, looking around but not sure what he was supposed to find. He felt tired and_ _his feet moved slowly, as if his body was too heavy for them. He shivered yet again and sniffled_ _just_ _to find that he had a runny nose. He looked around his clothes to see if he had any tissues when a movement caught his eye. Someone was walking straight up to him._

_“Hey,” a soft masculine voice said as the figure came closer. “Your feet must be freezing.”_

_Kurt looked down and saw his bare feet in the snow. He tried to wiggle his toes but they hardly moved._

_“I saved you a cookie,” the boy smiled at him and took out a small cookie from his pocket. “Maybe it will help.”_

_Kurt extended his hand to take the cookie but once the boy put it into his hand, it turned into a rock._

_“Try it, it’s delicious,” the boy smiled and Kurt bit it._

Kurt jerked awake and sat up straight, disorientated in his sleepy state. The teenager looked around to find himself safe and sound in his room. The light was still on and the papers were scattered around as if he had been moving in his sleep. The boy stood up and stretched his muscles that were already aching from his uncomfortable position. Looking at the clock he saw that it was almost three in the morning.

He was contemplating between finishing his homework and going to bed. One look through the window, however, helped him to make up his mind as the memory came crashing down on him. He had to find the curly-haired boy.


	7. Chapter 7

**November 27, 2012**

Originally Kurt thought that the most difficult part of his mission would be sneaking out of the house unnoticed. It proved to be pretty easy in the end since the sound of his footsteps was overpowered by the snoring coming from his dad’s room and the keys of the car were conveniently left in the pocket of his dad’s coat. The fact that the garage door opened pretty silently also helped.

It wasn’t until the teenager sat in the car and drove out of the garage that he realised that he had absolutely no idea where to go. Glancing at the electronic thermometer Kurt decided not to waste any more time and drove towards the direction of his school. He had seen the boy there once, it was a good starting point after all.

The drive to the bus stop took longer than it would have normally taken for Kurt especially since the roads were empty. He just took his time looking around just in case, though he was pretty sure the boy wouldn’t be sleeping by someone’s fence. Nevertheless, he had to make sure not to miss him.

Even though Kurt was sure he wouldn’t find the boy at the bus stop, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed when, in fact, he didn’t. In the perfect outcome he had thought about before leaving the house, he was supposed to go to the bus stop, find the boy sleeping there and take him home. Simple as that. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen; not that it was realistic in the first place.

It took over an hour of driving, the feeling of hopelessness increasing with each passing minute, for the teen to realise that it was all in vain. For all he knew, the boy might have had some shelter to live in and he would never see him from his car. Defeated, he turned around and drove back home, planning how to silently get back to bed before his dad realised that he had snuck out.

No such luck.

Kurt parked the car in the garage and got into the house on his tiptoes, careful not to make a sound. He was hanging his coat in the closet when the light in the living room switched on. The boy’s heart dropped into his stomach. Trying his best not to freak out he went into the room to find his dad sitting in the armchair.

“Hey, dad, I see you are up,” Kurt broke the silence since Burt didn’t show any signs of starting the conversation.

“Morning, kiddo. Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.

“I–” the boy began but his dad didn’t let him finish.

“I couldn’t either. You see, my son was missing,” the man said in a strained voice. Under the calm surface Kurt could see that his dad tried his hardest not to start yelling.

Kurt wriggled his hands, something he often did when he was nervous. “Dad, I’m so sorry–”

“So today I was supposed to take the rented car back to the airport. I got up early, had coffee, went into the garage and... there was nothing. There was no car there,” Burt said conversationally. “First thing I thought was that probably someone stole it. My second thought was that maybe my son decided to go on a little road trip but then I thought, ‘no, my son would never do that.’ So I went upstairs to his room and you know what? He wasn’t there…”

“Dad, I’m really, really sorry, I didn’t want to wake you up. I thought I would sneak out and come back before you noticed and–” Kurt tried to explain but once again his dad didn’t let him speak for too long.

“And then lie to me? Buddy, I thought we had a deal here. What was the deal?”

“To respect each other,” Kurt said and his pale face flushed deep pink.

“Exactly! And lying is _not_ how you show respect,” Burt said and took a deep calming breath. “Sit down.”

Kurt did as asked, knowing better than to object his dad now that he was already deep in trouble.

“I think I’ve been too indulgent as a parent. However, out of the respect I have left for you, I will let you explain before I ground you. So, go ahead, I’m listening. Where were you?”

Finally having a chance to explain himself, Kurt decided that it was for the best to go with the truth. “Um, okay, there is this guy–”

“Do I really want to hear the rest?”

“It’s not like that, dad… He’s a slave,” Kurt said and looked up at his dad, who looked at him confused.

“A slave?”

“And he is homeless…” Kurt added what he thought was the most important piece of the story.

“Why do you think he is homeless?”

“He looks homeless?” Kurt offered but Burt was obviously not convinced yet. “He is dirty, unshaven, his hair is way too long, his clothes don’t fit and he has no shoes. He also looked starved. Of course he’s living on the streets. How else could he look like that?”

Burt sighed and Kurt was sure he wouldn’t like what his dad was about to say. “Kurt, some people tend to neglect their slaves more than others. Sometimes it’s their way to punish them. Just because a slave looks a bit… untidy, doesn’t mean that he is homeless. Maybe he broke something so his owners sent him out for something without shoes. Things like that are common, no matter how horrible.”

Kurt frowned. He had never thought about that. Whenever he thought about slavery and imagined what it would be like to have a slave of his own, the person his imagination created was always tidy, clean and taken care of. Of course he had seen some photos of really badly looking slaves but he always thought they were in hard labour and it was the reason behind their appearance.

“Back to the question,” his dad spoke again, “what were you doing out tonight?”

The teenager looked at his dad guiltily. “I couldn’t stop thinking of him out there in the cold night so I went looking for him.”

“Did you find him?”

“No…”

“What did you plan to do if you found him?”

He wasn’t really sure. His plan went as far as the arrival to the house. Then what? He had no idea, the only sure thing was knowing that the boy had to be somewhere safe and warm and his house was both of those things.

“I... I wanted to bring him here,” he finally said, not elaborating on the rest.

“Kurt–”

“Dad, please, it’s almost winter and he barely has any clothes and it’s snowing and–”

“Stop right here,” Burt stopped him once again and Kurt shut up instantly. “First of all, he most likely belongs to some family so there is no way you could take him in. It’s illegal to have a slave without the ownership documents and it would be like stealing. Secondly, you know the rules - Hummels will never own another human being.”

“I know but–”

“No ‘buts’, Kurt, it’s final,” Burt cut him off and Kurt felt the anger building up inside. He just wanted to explain himself.

“Okay I’m sorry for wanting to help someone,” he said and it came out a bit harsher than he had planned.

Burt shrugged. “You could still help him.”

“How?”

“I don’t know, next time you see him you could buy him some tea or something. And biscotti, everyone likes biscotti and you did say he looked starving,” the man said. “Just know that you should be careful. If he has a family and they see you giving something to their slave, the boy may be in trouble.”

Kurt frowned in confusion, not sure if he really heard his dad right. “Why the boy? They should be angry with me…”

“It’s not how it works, buddy… Listen, I’m not a psychologist but the way I see it, slaves for their owners are like punching bags for normal people, either literally or metaphorically speaking. It’s the way for them to get rid of all negative emotions they have. There are a lot of cruel people out there and for them having a slave means not taking their frustration on their families or doing something illegal like punching someone, who could go to police and file a report.”

“But it’s unfair,” Kurt said in a small voice, having difficulties to comprehend that there was some sort of a positivity in slavery. “Do you agree with this?”

“Of course I don’t! Look at me, I never had a slave and I don’t feel the need to hurt you or anyone else. It’s just a poor excuse for sick, cruel people, who can’t control themselves.”

Kurt nodded, not sure what else to say. He never thought he would be this affected by the injustice that he now had to see for himself every day. He wished they never moved back to the States, it would have been much easier to ignore the issue and just go on with his life.

“Now go get that sleep that you have left and I’ll go to the airport. I’m already late as it is,” his dad said and they both stood up.

“Goodnight, dad,” Kurt said on his way upstairs.

“Night, Kurt,” the man said, putting on his coat.

“Um, dad? For how long am I grounded?” Kurt asked from the middle of the stairs.

Burt thought for a moment before speaking. “I’ll let you off the hook this time but sneak out at night again and there will be consequences. Bad consequences.”

Kurt smiled relieved. “Thanks, dad.”

“Yeah, yeah, go to sleep,” the man grunted and Kurt went to his room.

Back in his room, when the teenager was in his bed, he began to daydream about all different ways he could help the poor boy. His dad’s idea was brilliant but it wasn’t enough. Sure, every little helped but he had to do more, much more. He made a list of items he would carry all the time in his new car once he got it just in case he met the boy and at the point ‘gloves’ he fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**November 30, 2012**

The next few days were pretty hectic for Kurt. Next to going to school and doing homework he had to unpack many boxes (“Why did we have to bring all this stuff? We could have bought it here!”), go looking for cars with his dad (“Hey, buddy, look at this one! I’m definitely buying it for you.”), go shopping (“Yes, I promise I won’t exceed my limit.”) and do it all while still affected by the jet lag (“I’m sure it was coffee that the Greek gods called _ambrosia_.”).

Yet, it wasn’t the physical tasks that left him exhausted. More than anything he grew tired of his constant caution mode. The teen kept looking around and over his shoulder in a hope of catching a glimpse of the slave that had occupied his mind since Monday. He even ignored the bus that came a few minutes after the last period and stayed until the following one, hoping that the boy had some sort of a ritual or a schedule and walked the same streets at the same times every day. With each day such hope lessened until another idea hit him – maybe the boy didn’t have a daily ritual, maybe he had a _weekly_ one. Kurt got his hopes up again.

No matter how excited he was for Monday, though, he couldn’t let his guard down and kept looking around wherever he went. Friday afternoon was not an exception. His car still wasn’t ready as his dad had insisted on taking a professional look at it before he was sure that Kurt would be safe driving it, so he and Rachel got into Mercedes’ car and drove to the Lima Bean, the café that according to the girls, made the best coffee in Lima.

“Do you like the town, Kurt?” Rachel asked, looking back from the front seat.

Kurt looked up from the window. “What?”

The girl smiled brightly at him. “You were silent and kept staring through the window so I assumed you were enjoying the view.”

_Yeah, as if this could compare to Paris._

“Lima is nice,” he offered. “I still haven’t seen it all so I’m just trying to take it all in.”

The girls seemed to be pleased with the answer and Mercedes sparked the conversation about their plans for the weekend. As Kurt’s response about unpacking appeared to be boring, the girls discussed theirs. Mercedes apparently, had some unpleasant duties.

“I have to take my slave to the vet tomorrow,” she grumbled. “It must have caught something.”

“Vet?” Kurt asked confused, not sure if the word meant exactly what he thought.

“Veterinarian? An animal doctor?” Rachel simplified as if he was a kid.

“I know what it means but why are you taking your slave there, Cedes?” the boy asked.

Kurt saw Mercedes rolling her eyes in the rear-view mirror. “My parents insist that I take it to check if it is really sick or just faking it. I’m sure it’s nothing serious, it’s always been a lazy ass.”

“Talking about asses,” Rachel giggled as Mercedes parked in front of the café. “Look what is there.”

Kurt followed Rachel’s finger and saw two big trash containers in an alley across the street. Nothing looked out of ordinary at first until he moved a little to get a better angle. There, in between the two containers, the curly-haired boy was sitting with his knees drown close to his chest. After days of looking Kurt finally found him and he couldn’t do anything about it.

“Who is he?” the boy asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

“Everyone calls it ‘smelly-ass’. It’s been in Lima for over a year now. To be honest, I didn’t think it would survive last winter but here it is, still alive and tainting the town,” Rachel said with disgust. “It’s a stray slave, in case you were wondering.”

The girls opened the doors and Kurt followed their lead, climbing out of the car. “What does that mean?”

Mercedes was the one to answer his question. “A stray slave is like the worst kind of slave. It either means that it was kicked out by its owners or ran away. Both ways, it’s a sign of a bad slave.”

“But it’s not hi– a slave’s fault if the family wants to get rid of hi– it,” Kurt frowned as they entered the warm café.

Rachel and Mercedes shared a meaningful look. “There is so much you need to learn, Kurt,” Rachel stated and got in the queue right in front of an elderly couple. “Slaves cost money. Reselling a slave means getting back some money that you have spent on it, right? What kind of people would rather kick out their slave instead of reselling it? Even rich people don’t do that. It only means that such slave does not deserve to have a roof over its head.”

Kurt did his best to hide his disgust. “And running away? Why don’t all slaves just run away and live freely?”

Mercedes raised one eyebrow and Kurt assumed he had just said something wrong. “If you weren’t French, Kurt…” she prolonged the silence and shook her head. “There is no such thing as a ‘free slave.’ God, I can’t believe I used words ‘free’ and ‘slave’ in the same sentence.”

“According to the laws, once a slave, always a slave,” Rachel took over from Mercedes. “So basically stray slaves just roam the streets until they are found by their owners or die. Sometimes they kill themselves as well.”

“Thankfully, Lima has only one stray slave and from the look at it I can tell that he won’t last long,” Mercedes said and as it was their turn to order, they finished the conversation.

They placed their orders for coffee and waited by the counter to pick them up when Kurt came up with another question that he just had to get an answer for.

“You said that that boy, that slave has been in Lima for over a year, right?” he asked and the girls nodded. “Why hasn’t anyone done anything about it? There must be some shelters or something.”

“Kurt, you are thinking about homeless people,” Mercedes pointed out. “Slaves don’t get to use the shelters. They are not worth it.”

“Then, what about the city council? Why are they just ignoring the problem?” he insisted.

The barista brought their drinks and the trio went to find a table to sit at.

“There is obviously a hole in the law,” Rachel said disapprovingly. “Since a stray slave legally still belongs to someone, nobody can do anything. It would be illegal. Which is stupid, just look at that thing across the street, nobody wants it here! I don’t understand why it doesn’t leave. I know that the jocks have tried to find where it sleeps and they also beat it up a few times but it still stays here!”

“Oh, and in the beginning my church let it sleep in one of their buildings until my dad and his friends complained,” Mercedes cut in. “It’s really inappropriate to let such horrible thing sleep in a sacred place.”

_Did an apocalypse happened in the States and demons came visiting from hell?_

“But,” Rachel said with a widening smile as she took out a netbook from her bag, “enough about that, we have a much better thing to do!”

Kurt groaned internally. For the past few days the girls couldn’t stop talking about this – today was the day when they had to choose a slave for Rachel. From what the girls had told him before, he knew that there was a website where the newest, ‘never used before’ slaves had their profiles with the necessary information, photos, and starting prices. On a certain day the online auction started and people interested in a particular slave could bid and try to win their desired person.

“Let’s begin!” Rachel said excitedly and typed in the website. “Okay, let’s see the advanced search tool.”

“Kurt, come closer,” Mercedes insisted and he reluctantly moved his chair closer to Rachel so that they could all see the screen now. “Filter those, who have at least a month of training. You don’t want a mediocrely trained slave.”

“Good idea,” Rachel said and continued with the search form, filling in the appearance details.

Thankfully the girls didn’t expect Kurt to participate too much. Like they had said before, they knew everything about the details given in the information section, so the boy just silently sipped his drink, ignoring what was happening on the screen. Until it was time for his input.

“Okay, we are down to five,” Rachel counted the profiles that the website produced after her search was completed. “Now, guys, let’s take a closer look!”

Kurt looked at the screen and saw five small photos of different, yet very similar boys. It reminded him of the dating website that he and his friends once looked at for fun. Rachel clicked on the first profile and a much bigger came into view. Kurt covered his eyes – the boy was completely naked.

“Kurt, are you a blushing virgin?” Rachel giggled. “Don’t be embarrassed, everything here is natural!”

“Why… why do they put _these_ kind photos here?” he asked, taking his hand off his eyes, now ready for what was in front of him.

“You need to see what you are buying, da-ah,” Mercedes mocked him. “Okay, girl, let’s see its butt.”

Every slave had four photos – one of the front, one of the back and one for each side. The girls looked at them for a long time, comparing, discussing everything they liked and disliked. They were so into it that the lack of Kurt’s enthusiasm went unnoticed. He managed to get away with just saying that they were all not his type and they left him alone.

The whole time Kurt tried to see the boy through the window but the angle wasn’t right and he could see nothing. However, if the boy hadn’t left earlier while they were queuing, Kurt would have seen him walking out of the alley. Maybe he was still there.

“Okay, we are down to two…” Rachel said after a while. “I think I will ask my dads for their opinion. The starting prices are a bit different and they are in charge of money after all.”

The girl put the netbook back into her bag and they finished their coffees talking about school. Apparently one cheerleader had gotten pregnant and the girls still hadn’t had a chance to gossip about it since they found out about it after the last period.

In the end Kurt was relieved to leave the café. When they exited the building, his eyes went straight to the alley and he saw that the boy in fact stayed in the very same spot.

“Hey, you know, I forgot, my dad loves frappe, I think I should get him one,” he said and turned to go back into the café. “Don’t wait for me. I will call him to pick me up. I’ll see you on Monday.”

They bid their goodbyes and the girls went back to the car while Kurt went back into the emptying Lima Bean. There was only one person in front of him so he ordered very quickly and his order was made in no time. He thanked the barista and left the café with a big take-away mug of hot liquid and a paper bag.

The street was empty so Kurt easily crossed to the other side and slowly went into the alley, careful not to startle the boy. However, his attempts were unsuccessful since the boy looked up at him with fear-filled eyes.

“Hey, don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you,” Kurt hurried to reassure the slave. “Remember me? I gave you cookies a few days ago?”

The boy relaxed a little bit but it was obvious that he was still tensed. After a few seconds the shock was over and the boy rushed to get on his knees. In his haste Kurt noticed that he was wearing fluffy worn-out slippers on his feet.

“No, no, no,” Kurt stopped him, making the boy tense even more. “No kneeling okay? You can sit if you want.”

The boy stopped his movements and went back to his original position. “Thank you, Sir. Um, if I may, I remember you, Sir. And the cookies were worth an A+. Thank you.”

“Well, thank you for the compliment,” Kurt said and without even thinking sat down on the cold, dirty ground. “My name is Kurt, no need to call me Sir, just Kurt.”

The boy looked up in disbelief as Kurt sat in front of him, obviously not used to an eye-to-eye position with other people.

“Yes, Kurt,” the boy nodded in agreement.

There was a short pause and teenager wasn’t sure what to say until he realised that he had wanted to know the boy’s name since the moment they met. “So, what’s your name?”

The boy looked at him confused but didn’t hesitate to answer. “It’s Blaine, Si– Kurt.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Blaine,” Kurt said and was about to extend his hand for the boy to shake when he noticed that both of his hands were full. “Oh, I forgot why I came over here. I brought these for you. The tea is probably still too hot to drink straight away and the biscotti are probably not as nice as my cookies since those were made by me but I’m sure they are pretty tasty. So, here.”

The teenager extended both hands and after a moment Blaine’s shaky hands reached out for the goods offered to him. He first took the mug and let out a content sigh as the warmth of it hit his freezing skin.

“I can keep the biscotti while you warm up your hands,” Kurt offered as it was obvious that the boy’s both hands could use the warmth. “They are still yours, I will just keep them safely until you are ready, okay?”

Blaine nodded eagerly and pressed the mug to his cheek. He closed his eyes for a moment and if Kurt wasn’t mistaken, the slave had a small smile on his face. Kurt smiled at the sight, it was heart-breaking to see someone this happy over a mug of hot tea.

When the boy opened his eyes, there were tears in them. “Thank you,” he whispered, his voice breaking.

Sensing that it was his cue to leave since Blaine, the name still sounded weird in his mind, would probably appreciate some privacy, Kurt placed the bag next to the boy and stood up. “You are very welcome,” he said in response and left.

Kurt walked all the way back home since his dad was still at work and he could use some time outside to freshen his head anyway. The encounter left him emotional and as soon as he got into his bedroom, he began to cry for the boy who had so little yet deserved so much. When there were no more tears to cry, he sat down at the table and took out a new book for scrapbooking that he had gotten during one of his shopping trips. He opened the book and glued the receipt from the Lima Bean with ‘Herbal tea, large’ and ‘Biscotti x 5’ written on it, to the first page and wrote ‘A new friend’ next to it. It seemed like a good starting point of his new life.


	9. Chapter 9

**December 1, 2012**

Saturday morning was simply beautiful. Kurt let himself sleep in and when he finally got up and looked through the window, he saw a clear sky with sun shining brightly. The tree branches were unmoving, which could only indicate that there was no wind. He knew that it was still chilly outside, after all it was the first day of winter, but it still seemed like a good idea to spend some time outside and enjoy probably the last rays of sun that year.

Not feeling particularly hungry the boy decided to start with a shower and forego breakfast since it was already close to the lunchtime anyway.

A shower had always been known as the place where the best ideas were born and the existential questions were solved. For Kurt it was always about singing but that morning he couldn’t bring himself to let out a single note. All he could do was stand there enjoying the warm water, tragically aware that not everyone in this world had such luxury. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen homeless people before but he had never felt so close to any of them and didn’t let himself be affected by it. Now he couldn’t help but feel privileged.

After the boy was clean and ready to start his day, he heard his dad unlocking the front door and walking into the house. Knowing that it would be a good distraction and already feeling hungry, Kurt went down the stairs and found his dad in the kitchen.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Kurt asked his dad, who was looking through the fridge.

“I forgot to bring lunch with me so instead of starving I chose to come home to eat,” Burt said. “I want a turkey sandwich… You want some?”

“Yeah, sure,” Kurt said and went to help his dad with lunch.

They worked in silence for a minute before Burt commented on Kurt’s odd behaviour. “You know, you will cut yourself if you don’t pay attention at what you are doing.”

“What?” Kurt frowned confused.

“You have that distant look on your face. I bet you can’t really see the meat you are slicing.”

The boy blushed and went back to the turkey. “I’m just lost in my thoughts… No big deal.”

The man looked at his son curiously and put the washed salad leaves on a plate. “Care to elaborate? Or is it something an old man would not understand?”

Kurt sighed and stopped his movements. “Remember the boy I told you about? Blaine?”

“I have no such memories.”

Only then it occurred to Kurt that he had referred to the slave by his name in his head so many times that he totally forgot that not everyone knew it. “The homeless slave boy? His name is Blaine.”

“Kurt, we already talked about it. He most likely has an owner,” Burt said getting ready to slice the cheese. “And how the hell do you know his name?”

“I talked to him yesterday after getting coffee with Mercedes and Rachel. He really is a ‘stray slave’ or at least that’s what the girls told me. He’s been living on the streets of Lima for over a year. I went to talk to him and asked his name,” Kurt gave his dad a short version of the events.

“It doesn’t change anything, you know? We can’t take him in,” Burt said and Kurt could see that his dad was sorry he couldn’t do anything.

“Maybe he could live in the garage? Just to have somewhere to sleep safely at night without freezing to death,” Kurt offered hopefully. He knew that garage wasn’t a suitable place to live but it had to be better than wherever Blaine had to spend his nights.

“The law is against us here, buddy,” Burt said and finished preparing all ingredients for the sandwiches. “If I let him stay in the garage people would assume that I was using him for labour and it would be just as bad as taking him in. We live in a small town – people notice things and they talk. They talk a lot actually.”

“So that’s it? We are just going to let him die in the cold?” Kurt asked harshly. “Am I supposed to watch it happen and do nothing?”

“Kurt–”

“It’s fucking unfair!”

“Look, I know you are upset but it’s not an excuse for cursing,” Burt chastised him.

Kurt’s shoulder slumped in defeat and he began to form two big sandwiches from the ingredients they had prepared. “I’m sorry. It’s just so painful to watch this all happening, to listen to people talking about slavery like it’s nothing and not be able to do anything, just stand and nod.”

“You know, you are allowed to be sympathetic to slaves and treat them nicely,” Burt told him. “The laws in the States are a bit better than they are in some countries, where you can go to prison for treating a slave like a human being.”

Kurt blushed at this. “I haven’t met anyone, who doesn’t think that slavery is a good thing…” he said vaguely.

“Are you, by any chance, faking to be pro-slavery in front of other people?”

_Why does he have to know me better than anyone else?_

“Maybe?” he looked at his dad guiltily and brought the plate to the table. “Mercedes has her own slave and Rachel is getting one soon. I don’t like how they talk about them but other than that they are fun to be around so I kind of try to avoid the topic and just enjoy myself. And they are the only friends I’ve made in McKinley so far, so I don’t want to lose them just because our views are different.”

“Fair enough but I still think you shouldn’t have to hide your beliefs,” the man said, before taking a mouthful of his sandwich. “What kind of friendship is that?”

“Full mouth, dad,” Kurt said with a roll of his eyes. “I don’t tell them that I despise slavery but I also don’t say that I like it. I just manage to get out of the conversation without saying too much.”

“Well, as long as you are happy, I’m happy,” his dad said and was about to take another bite but retracted the sandwich. “By the way, your car should be ready today. Come over at around three before I close and you can take it home.”

“That’s great, thanks, dad,” Kurt’s mood instantly increased a bit. “I was thinking of going to the park after lunch. It’s on the way to the garage, right?”

Burt nodded and swallowed the bite he had in his mouth. “Yeah. It’s a nice big park. Make sure to go to the pond, it usually has some birds in it.”

“It’s December, I doubt there will be anything except some old leaf.”

“You never know,” Burt said and they finished eating in silence.

Minutes later the man went back to work and Kurt got ready for a walk. He knew that he should stay home and do some unpacking but it would have been a shame not to use an opportunity to walk in the sun so he didn’t feel guilty about his decision. Remembering his dad’s words the teenager found a few old croissants in the cupboard and put them in a paper bag. He didn’t think he would find any birds to feed but it’s better to have them just in case. It would be sad to find some ducks and then have nothing for them.

Putting on his favourite jacket and boots, Kurt looked at the wall mirror to check if his looks were satisfactory. He wasn’t shallow but he still wanted to look presentable in public.

The park wasn’t far from his new home and it didn’t take more than fifteen minutes for the boy to reach the place that probably looked much better in summer or spring than it did on that day. Despite that the sun made everything look better and Kurt enjoyed the slow walk, revelling on the warmth on his cheeks. The park was silent and surprisingly there was nobody around. It was rather strange since it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and it was crazy to stay indoors. On the other hand, Kurt enjoyed the quietness and the calmness that it brought to him.

Entering the park Kurt had checked the map by the gates to find where the pond was and he made his way through an area that was called ‘a forest’ on the map. It was nothing like a forest though, just a path through a place with some trees, successfully hiding the pond. Kurt instantly felt colder as the trees hid him from the sun.

Luckily, the path wasn’t long and he soon exited the ‘forest’ to find a small pretty pond with sunlight reflecting on the surface and two swans swimming around lazily. There were several benches around, all unoccupied. However, there was one person there.

Kurt stopped in his tracks and swallowed thickly as he noticed a figure sitting by one of the benches, looking at the birds. His back was facing Kurt but the teenager could already recognise those curls from anywhere.

Now the teen had to weigh his options. Blaine hadn’t heard him, it was obvious. He could either start walking loudly or slowly approach the boy. Both ways he would startle the boys but in the end Kurt decided that it would be for the best to announce his presence as soon as possible because it would give some feeling of safety for the boy. Sneaking up on him was not a good idea.

He started walking again, stepping on the path more forcefully than necessary and waving the bag a little bit so it would make some noise.

Blaine instantly looked back, the fright in his eyes visible and Kurt wished nothing more than to take it away.

“Hi,” Kurt said with a friendly smile and saw the recognition in the slave’s face.

“Hello,” he said softly.

“Um, mind if I sit with you?” Kurt asked, gesturing towards the bench the boy was leaning on.

Blaine shook his head and looked away to watch the birds again. Kurt sat down and placed the bag on the bench.

“Do you come here often?” he asked and instantly cursed inwardly. Of all the things he could have said, he went with the worst pick-up line ever.

“Sometimes,” Blaine nodded. “It’s nice here and people don’t come to the pond very often after the birds are gone.”

Kurt looked at the swans that were in the middle of the pond. “Why didn’t these two leave?” he asked, not even sure if the other boy knew the answer.

“The male swan injured his wing,” Blaine said and it didn’t go unnoticed to Kurt that the boy referred to the bird as ‘he.’

“And the other one?”

“She couldn’t leave him,” the slave said as if it was obvious. “Swans mate for life, she wasn’t about to leave him alone. They are loyal to each other.”

“Won’t she die if she stays with him though?” Kurt asked, watching the magnificent birds interact.

“Probably… I went to the veterinarian to tell them that there are swans that didn’t migrate but they wouldn’t let me in,” Blaine said with a slight blush.

“I could do it for you? They aren’t working until Monday so I’ll go after school and tell them,” he offered with a smile.

“Really?” the curly-haired boy finally looked up at Kurt, excitement in his eyes.

“Sure,” Kurt shrugged. “Um, are you comfortable on the ground? It may be nicer to sit on the bench, don’t you think?”

Blaine looked at him confused. “You don’t mind? Most people usually don’t like it…”

Kurt smiled encouragingly at that. “I’m not exactly like most people. Come on, the ground must be cold.”

“Okay,” Blaine uttered and stood up just to sit down on the edge of the bench, as far from Kurt as he could. “Sorry, I don’t actually smell nice.”

“Not your fault,” Kurt said awkwardly. For a moment he was afraid that Blaine didn’t want to be close to him. “So, my dad insisted that I bring some bread in case there are birds. I brought some croissants and they are a bit hard but still edible and haven’t expired. You can have them.”

Blaine watched his movements as Kurt pushed the bag towards him. With some hesitation he took the bag in his hands and opened it.

“They are for me?” he asked.

“Well, they were for the birds but now they are for you,” Kurt explained guiltily. “If I had known you would be here, I would have brought something nicer…”

Blaine shook his head. “There is no need for ‘nicer.’ It’s already amazing, really,” he said with a smile. “I can do whatever I want with them, right?”

Kurt frowned at the question but nodded nevertheless.

“Thank you,” Blaine said and took one piece out.

He smelled the croissant and took one small bite of it. Without another word he stood up and went closer to the pond. Kurt watched his every step and when he saw the boy throw a piece of the pastry into the water, he realised what Blaine was doing. With a fond smile Kurt grabbed the bag and joined the boy by the lake. He watched as the birds swam closer to catch the food that was given to them.

“You didn’t like them?” Kurt joked about the croissants and stepped next to the boy.

Blaine looked at him and shook his head. “They are lovely but after yesterday I’ll be fine for some time and without enough food the swans may not survive until Monday,” the boy explained and Kurt watched him in awe.

When Blaine finished up with what he had in his hands, Kurt offered him the bag. The slave took out another croissant and they proceeded like that until the bag was empty. They didn’t talk. Kurt didn’t ask what happened to him, why he was in Lima, where he slept… He had many questions but it didn’t seem like a right time to ask them. He just let himself enjoy the sun and the company.

When they were done Blaine put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and smiled at Kurt. “Thank you. It always felt wrong to sit here and have nothing to give them. I was afraid they didn’t like me for that,” he chuckled, surprising Kurt even more. For some reason he didn’t think that someone like Blaine could still laugh.

“I doubt that, you are really likeable,” Kurt joked back and watched the boy blush. “I have to go now but I was thinking, maybe, I could see you again? I was lucky today to find you here but I may be out of luck tomorrow and I really enjoy your company.”

The boy opened his mouth to say something but closed it again. After a moment he nodded. “Yeah, of course, I’d love that. We could meet here again?” he suggested.

“Great! Tomorrow at the same time? I will bring some bread for the swans and a small picnic for us,” Kurt said excitedly. “We may not be able to sit on the grass but we can pretend it’s a proper picnic. Sounds good to you?”

“Perfect,” Blaine whispered.

“Okay, so, see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,” the slave repeated with a smile.

Kurt turned to leave but before he could walk away, he changed his mind. The boy took off his jacket and extended it to Blaine. “Here, I was planning to throw it away but I thought it would look better on you than in the trash bin,” he lied. He bought the jacket a few days before moving to the States but Blaine didn’t need to know that.

The boy, however, didn’t make a move to take the piece of clothing from Kurt. “I… Thank you, Kurt, but I can’t take it. You have already done much more for me than anyone else in this town and I don’t want to–”

Kurt didn’t let him finish. “I really don’t want to throw it away and it would look great on you. It would make me really happy if you took it,” he said and waited for Blaine to react.

The other boy didn’t look convinced but the bright smile that Kurt was wearing must have helped to change his mind because after a few moments the boy gave him a small nod. Timidly he took the jacket and tried it on. It was way too big for his tiny frame but from Blaine’s face Kurt could tell that the boy enjoyed being wrapped in the clothing that was already warmed up by his body heat.

They parted after Blaine thanked him profusely and Kurt went to the garage with a lighter heart. Later that day a newly printed picture of a swan couple found its way into his scrapbook with a title ‘For life’ next to it.


	10. Chapter 10

**December 2, 2012**

The following day Kurt didn’t let himself sleep in. He had way too much to do since he and his dad were busy the previous day and had to move their traditional cleaning day to Sunday. It was the tradition started by Kurt’s mother Elizabeth. On Saturdays the whole family had to participate in cleaning the house. Normally it included dusting the shelves, washing the floor, and vacuuming but on some certain days there was much more to do like washing the windows. Thankfully, after a short discussion the Hummel men decided not to do any major cleaning since they were still unpacked and it wouldn’t make sense to clean up everything now. They would wait until they were finished settling in and then the real fun would begin.

Since Kurt knew that the typical cleaning would still take ages, he had set his alarm for eight in the morning and got up without snoozing it. Before he could start getting ready, he needed to do one thing – make sure that the other Hummel was ready to participate. That’s how the teenager found himself standing by the door of his dad’s room still in his pyjamas, knocking non-stop.

“Dad… dad…” he kept muttering. “Da-ad… Daddy…”

He kept doing this until he heard someone shuffling around the room and the door opened to reveal sleepy-eyed Burt.

“Wakey-wakey,” Kurt said with a big bright smile. “So, I planned the cleaning schedule for us. We will start with–”

Without a word or change in his facial expression Burt slammed the door and Kurt stepped back in surprise. He frowned but didn’t let this discourage him. “I expect you downstairs in twenty minutes. Don’t make me come up here again.”

With that the boy went back to his bedroom to get ready for work. His plan was perfect – they would start working early, finish up by lunch, have light lunch, and then he would prepare the picnic and go to the park to see Blaine. Now he just needed his dad to be cooperative to make sure everything was done in time. He had no way of contacting Blaine in case he was late and it would be a shame if the boy thought that Kurt was making fun of him and lied about the picnic. Kurt needed Blaine’s trust so there was no way in hell he would be late for their meeting.

“Hey, Kurt, I just checked the cupboard where we keep the cleaning supplies,” Burt said when they were getting ready to start the cleaning after the breakfast, “and there are no dusters in there. Do you know if we have those at all?”

_Fucking perfect…_

“Weren’t you supposed to buy some when you bought all the other stuff?” Kurt asked.

“I must have forgotten,” Burt said slowly, trying to remember and it only annoyed Kurt since every minute was important.

“Are you sure? Maybe you put them somewhere else?” the boy insisted, hardly keeping himself from whining.

Burt looked at him as if he was crazy. “Yeah, of course, I bought cleaning stuff and put everything in one place _except_ for the dusters…”

“Haha, very funny,” Kurt grimaced. “Um, okay, how about you start vacuuming and I will quickly drive to the mall. It should be open on Sunday, right?”

“I have no idea, you are the shopper in this family,” Burt shrugged.

“I’m sure I’ll find some open store,” Kurt said and ran upstairs.

All he needed to do was grab his wallet and he was ready. Normally he would have changed into some nicer clothes but he didn’t have time for that. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be many people out on an early Sunday morning. After all, normal people should be in bed till like two in the afternoon.

When Kurt went downstairs, Burt was already vacuuming the carpet in the living room. The boy waved at his dad to indicate he was leaving, put on a coat and warm boots, and went to his new car. He liked it a lot and while it would take some time getting used to it, he was already comfortable driving it.

The drive to the shopping mall appeared to be useless since it wasn’t opened yet and the teen had to find some other place. In his mind he played the list of shops he had been to or had seen passing by and decided just to go to all of those that might sell cleaning supplies among other things. Unfortunately for him, his second try was a store that had no such thing like dusters but the third one appeared to be just what he needed. Kurt almost squealed in delight when he noticed what he needed and quickly made his way to the front of the store to pay. On his way, however, something caught his eye.

There was a section of discounted merchandise, most of them not suitable for winter. Among all things there was a folded checkered blanket. It was red and blue and even though the typical picnic blanket was supposed to be red and _white_ it was still very similar. Originally he planned to just put the food containers on the bench but seeing the blanket Kurt couldn’t help but imagine Blaine’s smile when he saw a properly looking picnic. He hadn’t really seen the slave smile, at least not a big toothy smile, but from what he had already seen, Kurt knew that this small gesture would surprise him in a good way.

After such a warm image in his head the teenager couldn’t not buy the blanket and since it was discounted, it didn’t cost much. Happy with his purchase but still worried about the possibility of being late, Kurt went to pay and was met with a short queue of two people in front of him.

_Normal people should be sleeping…_

The first customer was taking ages much to Kurt’s dismay. Trying not to look annoyed, he started looking around the shop and when there was nothing to pretend to be looking at anymore, he looked through the window. The day wasn’t as nice as Saturday but since it was still very early, he hoped that the sun would come out at the lunch time.

He was about to look away when he saw someone walking down the street on the other side of the road. Once again Kurt was lucky to just randomly spot the boy that occupied his thoughts.

_I’m as lucky as Harry Potter in the last book. He also happened to go to the right places at the right time with the right people waiting there for him…_

At the first sight Kurt’s heart leaped but after taking a better look, as good as it was, seeing that Blaine was quite far from him, the boy noticed that the slave was wearing the same clothes as before. Which meant, he wasn’t wearing the jacket that Kurt gave him in the park before they parted. What also caught his attention was the way the boy was walking; there was an obvious limp in his gait.

Blaine was almost out of his vision and Kurt contemplated running out of the store and talking to him when the cashier brought him out of his thoughts.

“Next, please,” the girl said and Kurt put the dusters and the blanket on the counter.

He kept moving on the spot, trying to urge the girl to work faster but it didn’t help. She was obviously sleepy and since nobody was there to supervise her, she took her time scanning the things. It went fine until she tried to scan the blanket.

“I’m sorry, the barcode is not working,” she said after the first time. She tried again, and again. After the fourth time she manually put in the code but it gave an old price. “I’m sorry, I will just go check the new price.”

She left the counter and Kurt felt the urge to hit his head on the wall. It was already a couple of minutes and he was sure when this was over, Blaine would be far from there. On the bright side, he would be able to ask him questions later that day.

The girl came back after resolving the problem and put in the new code, which finally worked. “Sorry about that. We just discounted this item yesterday and you are the first buyer. Anyway, your total is six ninety nine.”

Kurt gave her seven dollars, picked up the things and quickly walked out of the store. Blaine, as he had predicted, was nowhere to be seen. With a heavy sigh Kurt went back to the car and drove home. Throughout the drive he couldn’t help but he disappointed by what he had seen. His jacket was new, nice, comfortable and very warm. Then why wasn’t Blaine wearing it? It couldn’t have been worse than freezing in the cold weather.

Entering the house the boy noticed that it was silent so he assumed that his dad had finished vacuuming. He was proved to be wrong when a few moments later the sound of the vacuum cleaner came from upstairs. The boy took off his coat and boots, placed the purchases on the stairs and went to find his dad. He found him in the main bedroom.

“Hey, dad!” Kurt yelled through the noise and Burt looked around to see him.

The man turned off the cleaner. “Hey, did you buy those things?”

Kurt nodded. “Yeah. It took a while to find them but in the end I did,” he said with a forced smile, his mind going back to what he had seen while in the shop. Maybe his dad could explain Blaine’s behaviour…

“Ask what you want to ask,” Burt said, hardly surprising Kurt since his dad always sensed his moods.

“Okay, so remember how I gave Blaine my jacket yesterday?” the teenager asked and waited for Burt to nod. “I saw him and he wasn’t wearing it. I couldn’t go talk to him and I can’t get it out of my mind… Any smart ideas why he wasn’t wearing it?”

Burt sat down on the bed. “Maybe it’s too warm for this weather?”

Kurt shook his head.

“Maybe it didn’t go with his outfit?”

“Dad,” the boy rolled his eyes. He wasn’t in the mood for jokes.

Burt put his hands up in surrender. “Fine, sorry. Was it an expensive jacket?”

Kurt smiled guiltily. “Maybe?”

“If that’s the case, maybe he sold it and now he is looking for a cheaper but equally warm jacket. That way he would have a warm jacket _and_ some money left for food or other clothes. Does that sound plausible?”

The boy exhaled a breath of relief. He hadn’t even thought of such possibility and it made a lot of sense. He wasn’t sure how the slave could know the worth of that piece of clothing but it would have been a smart move to make.

“Yes, yeah, it sounds like something a smart person would do,” Kurt nodded. “I’ll ask him later anyway.”

“When are you two meeting up?”

“In a few hours so we should get back to work. We need to finish by then, I don’t want to make him wait,” Kurt urged his dad.

“You know, you can leave even if we are not finished, right?” Burt asked with a laugh. “It’s not like I’m going to keep you locked up like a Cinderella.”

“How can I know that, _stepmother?_ ” Kurt joked and left before Burt could respond.

The rest of the cleaning went well. They had everything they needed and together they worked efficiently so everything was finished by the lunch time. Kurt had a salad while Burt made himself a sandwich. The man was still eating when Kurt started to pack a picnic basket.

“There is a box of pop tarts in the cupboard,” Burt said as he watched his son looking for proper food.

“I’m not sure about it…” Kurt muttered and turned around to face his dad. “If a person hasn’t had much to eat for a very long time, can he eat everything or is there something that wouldn’t be good for him? I won’t bring any food that’s hard to digest like mushrooms or nuts–”

“Stop. Worrying. So. Much,” Burt said emphasising each word for a dramatic effect. “I’m sure he knows his body and it will be fine.”

“It’s not enough to ‘know your body,’ dad… I just don’t want him to get sick…”

“You are bringing the thermos with the chicken soup right? Start with it. It’s warm, easy to digest. It will be good for him,” Burt shrugged and went to wash his used plate. “And in the end give him all leftovers so he can eat them when he feels like it. Just make sure you tell him that it will all be his after your picnic, otherwise he may try to eat as much as possible while he can and that may make him sick.”

Kurt’s eyebrows went up. “Wow, you are smart!”

“Very funny, brat,” Burt faked a frown. “Now, finish up and go to the park. I can see you can’t wait to go.”

“I’m that obvious, huh?”

“You have no idea.”

It didn’t take long for Kurt to finish getting ready and soon he was driving to the park with a basket full of food and the blanket on the front seat. He couldn’t hold in the excitement and sang his heart out to the radio. By the time he finally arrived, the countertenor managed to go through two full songs and a half of the third one.

The boy made his way to the secluded pond and found the area empty, just the two swans swimming on the other side. It was quite a mood killer not to find Blaine already there but on the other hand, he could now welcome the slave with a made up picnic.

Humming the unfinished song Kurt lay the blanket on one of the benches and put the food containers on it. He took a photo with his phone and sat down, ready to wait for the boy.

Time passed and the boy kept looking at his phone to check the time and the path to see if Blaine was coming. He knew they hadn’t really set a proper time, just said they would meet ‘at the same time’ and the slave boy didn’t have a watch or any other means of knowing the time but he still couldn’t help but feel anxious.

After an hour passed Kurt went to the pond and started feeding the swans, moving around a little to keep himself warm. After another half an hour he began snacking on the food he had. Another hour later he packed the food back into the basket.

Kurt stayed for more than two hours in the park. Blaine never showed up.


	11. Chapter 11

**December 3, 2012**

The feelings of disappointment and uneasiness followed Kurt through the rest of the weekend and it didn’t go away the next morning when he woke up for school. He couldn’t believe it had been only a little bit more than a week since he came to the States. He had already been through a great emotional rollercoaster and he had a feeling that it was far from over.

The first class of the day went just fine. He had a chance to quickly catch up with Mercedes, who had had a new haircut done during the weekend, and he got back his graded essay for which he had gotten a B minus. It was a good grade considering that he had almost no knowledge of the language.

After Spanish was over the girl needed to get something from her locker and Kurt offered to walk her there. They ended up almost running to their next class and made it just on time. The teenagers were still out of breath when they sat down in their seats. Rachel, who was already there, leaned towards them.

“I have something to tell you,” she whispered. “I didn’t want to tell this over the phone.”

“Miss Berry, may I, please, start the class?” their teacher asked, annoyance obvious in her voice.

The girl blushed and sat up straight with a guilty smile. She didn’t try to talk to them anymore and while Kurt was a bit curious, he didn’t think it was something important and paid attention to the teacher. Mercedes, on the other hand, kept sending him notes asking what he thought Rachel’s news could be about. The answer to her question came as soon as the bell rang and the class was over.

“Spill,” was the first word that left Mercedes’ mouth when they were finally allowed to talk.

“Wait until we are out of the classroom,” Rachel said, looking pointedly at the teacher, who was still sitting behind her desk.

The trio made their way to the corridor where there were no teachers around as far as they could see.

“So?” Mercedes asked impatiently.

They began to walk down the corridor and Rachel finally began to tell her news. “Okay, so, on Saturday I was going to the theatre with my dads and we saw smelly-ass. Guess what? It is a thief!”

“What do you mean?” Mercedes asked with a frown while Kurt felt himself getting paler by each passing second.

“It was wearing a jacket from the new Marc Jacobs collection! I don’t follow fashion but my papa recognised it,” Rachel continued with her story. “I knew that thing was a thief but now we have a proof.”

Kurt cleared his throat. “Don’t you think someone may have… given it to him?”

“Oh, please, you look like someone who knows brands, you should know how much that jacket is worth,” Rachel rolled her eyes. “Anyway, my dads took the jacket away and as a decent citizen I took it to a charity shop.”

Mercedes shook her head in disbelief. “It’s quite stupid, did it think nobody would notice?”

“I bet it didn’t know how much the jacket was really worth,” Rachel shrugged. “By the way, don’t worry about the safety of your belongings. I told Finn about it and he and his fellow jock friends taught smelly-ass the lesson that it is not supposed to take what belongs to others.”

A heavy feeling settled in Kurt’s stomach at the girl’s words. ‘Teaching the lesson’ could only mean one thing and it wasn’t anything good.

“Kurt, are you feeling alright?” Mercedes asked with concern and Kurt shook his head.

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” he said and ran into the boys’ bathroom which they were conveniently passing by.

The teenager locked himself in one of the stalls and sat down on the lid. He put his head in his hands and tried to calm down. It was all his fault. He thought he was doing a good deed but in the end Blaine got beaten up because of him. That must have been the reason he hadn’t showed up in the park – he hated Kurt…

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Kurt yelled at himself and in response heard someone snickering from the stall next to his. Apparently, he wasn’t alone.

The teen grabbed his bag and left the stall, ready to leave the bathroom before the other guy could make fun of him. Unluckily, the said guy left at the same time and blocked the exit.

“Must be pretty stupid to talk to yourself,” he said and Kurt took in his appearance.

The boy was wearing a black worn out leather jacket with a white t-shirt and dark blue jeans. It was typical attire for someone pretending to be badass and from the first look Kurt knew that this person was bad news.

“You queer, gorgeous?” the boy asked with a smirk, moving to the side when Kurt tried to round him.

“Excuse me?”

“Queer? Homo?” the boy ‘explained.’

“If you mean ‘gay’, yes, I am,” Kurt answered reluctantly and tried to leave again. “Let me go.”

The boy’s grin just widened. “I’m just trying to find out what got you so upset. It doesn‘t suit you.”

Kurt glared at him in disbelief. “That’s none of your business.”

The guy snorted and stepped closer to Kurt, successfully making him feel intimidated. “That's not a good way to make new friends, princess. No surprise you are hanging out with those stuck up bitches.”

For some reason Kurt felt braver and even though he knew that the guy could easily break his bones, he felt the need to defend the girls. “Don't talk about them like that, they are my friends and they are better people than you.”

The guy laughed and his eyes shone with amusement. “Sure they are. I'll see you around, pretty face.”

With that the guy left and Kurt almost forgot why he had gone to the bathroom in the first place.

***

The time in school went excruciatingly slowly. Kurt was like on the needles all the time, checking the time, counting how much longer until he could get out and go looking for Blaine. He needed some big apologies to make. It didn’t help that every time he saw Rachel in the hallway or the cafeteria, he felt like throwing up.

When the last bell of the day rang Kurt literally ran out of the class, not wishing to waste any more precious time.

_If I was a homeless slave, where would I go?_

_Don’t be stupid, you don’t even know this town well enough…_

However, he did know a few places. First, since the Lima Bean was close to school, Kurt drove there and walked into the alley just to find it empty, with no sign of Blaine. He slowly drove by the store from which he had seen the slave walking the day before and looked at every half-hidden place on the street. In the end he went to the park and found it empty. Only when he saw the birds with snowflakes falling on their feathers did he remember the promise he made to the other boy.

Disappointed with his failure Kurt went back to the car and found a veterinary office on his navigation system. He selected it and let the robot woman’s voice guide him to the place.

When the teenager entered a brightly lit room he saw a woman with a dog sitting on one of the chairs and a man talking to the receptionist. He stood behind the man to wait for his turn to speak with the lady behind the counter. Fortunately, it wasn’t necessary since a woman in a white coat walked into the room and when she saw him waiting, went straight to him.

“Hi, may I help you?” she asked with a smile.

“Yeah, hi, I’m not sure who I should contact so I figured that you would know,” he said. “You see I was in the Faurot Park and I saw two swans that haven’t migrated and since it’s winter I thought someone should know about it.”

“Oh wow,” the woman looked shocked. “Thank you for telling me this. I will make sure to inform the authorities.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Kurt smiled.

The woman looked at him funnily. “Have I seen you before? You look familiar…”

The boy shook his head. “I don’t think so, I just moved here a week ago.”

“And what’s your name?”

“Kurt Hummel,” the teen introduced himself and was surprised by the woman’s reaction.

“I knew I recognised you! You are Burt and Elizabeth’s son! My name is Carole Hudson, I went to school with your parents. The last time I saw you was in the funeral…”

“Yeah, my dad and I moved to France not long after that,” Kurt shrugged.

The woman nodded in understanding. “I know, Burt told me about his plans. How do you like being back in Lima?”

Kurt just shrugged. “It’s okay. I miss my friends but I have so much going on right now that sometimes I just don’t notice it.”

“When I was a kid my family moved as well. At first it’s hard but then you make new friends and it gets better.”

“Yeah, I’m currently in the process of making new friends,” Kurt laughed.

The woman smiled at that. “So, how is Burt doing?”

Kurt opened his mouth to speak when a better idea hit him. “Um, how about you give me your phone number and I will have him call you some time this week?”

In the end Carole gave him his number and Kurt left happy that at least one positive thing happened that day.

***

“No way.”

“Come on, dad…”

“I can’t do it!”

“Yes you can, it’s just a phone call…”

Kurt had been nagging his dad to call his old friend ever since Burt came back from work but it didn’t seem to work. For some reason, the man was a tad bit reluctant.

“I know but it will be awkward…” Burt reasoned the millionth time that evening.

“I will help you,” the boy offered. “You will speak to her and if you get stuck I will help you out, tell you what to say next.”

“I don’t know… I mean, it would be fun to catch up with her,” the man uttered thoughtfully and Kurt knew he was close to winning. “What the heck, let’s do it.”

The man took out his cell and Kurt handed him the number. “Okay, be cool and try to sound natural,” Kurt gave the last piece of advice as his dad hit the ‘call’ button.

After two rings the phone was answered.

“Uh, hi, is this Carole?.. Hi, it’s Burt Hummel... Yeah, Kurt gave me your number… I’m alright, how are you?.. I’m glad to hear that… So, I was thinking maybe we could catch up some time?..”

“Ask her out for dinner,” Kurt whispered.

“Um, food, you like it?..”

Kurt literally facepalmed himself at his dad’s words. It was painful to listen.

“Then maybe we could eat together? Maybe on Friday?.. Seven sounds great… Breadstix? I’m sure I’ll find it… Alright, see you then… Bye…”

Burt hung up and Kurt rolled his eyes at him. “Real smooth, dad.”

”As if you could have done it better.”

***

**December 6, 2012**

For the next few days Kurt was on the lookout for Blaine without success. He had gone to the park every day after school and spent at least half an hour there in a hope of the slave boy showing up. He was out of luck until Thursday. He was having a particularly bad day and almost didn’t go to the park but something pulled him to that place and in the end he found himself walking through the ‘forest.’

The moment he saw someone sitting on the ground by a bench, he thanked all deities which names he had heard of for making him go there. There, in the flesh, was the boy he had been chasing after for days.

“Hey, Blaine,” Kurt said to get the boy’s attention.

The slave turned around and once his eyes set on the countertenor, they filled with fear and he hastily got on his knees. “Sir! Please, I’m sorry! Please, I didn’t mean to,” he kept muttering and Kurt had no idea what it was about.

He slowly approached the boy. “Blaine? It’s okay…  Why are you apologising? You didn’t do anything wrong,” he tried to soothe the scared boy.

“I lost your jacket, sir,” he snivelled. “You gave it to me and I lost it, I’m sorry! Please, don’t hurt me…”

“Oh Blaine…” Kurt’s eyes filled with tears. “I promise I won’t hurt you… Here, no kneeling, okay?”

The teen manoeuvred the curly-haired boy onto the bench and sat down next to him.

“I’m sorry…”

“Hey, none of that… It was all my fault,” Kurt bit his bottom lip. “I know what happened to you and I know why it happened. People thought you stole the jacket and I should have known they would think that way… Please, will you forgive me?”

The slave boy wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “There is nothing to forgive, sir. You were kind to me and I lost your gift…”

“My name is Kurt, remember?” the teen reminded Blaine. “You deserve a normal explanation… The jacket was new and made by a designer so it was quite expensive–”

“I’m so–”

“The price doesn’t matter. But some people thought you had stolen it. I thought I was doing something good by giving it to you but I never realised that it may cause some trouble for you. So, I’m really very sorry for not thinking it through…”

Blaine gave him a small smile. “It’s okay… Kurt.”

“Why didn’t you come to our picnic on Sunday? Did you think I would be angry?” Kurt asked even though he already suspected what the answer would be.

Blaine just nodded and started playing with the hem of his shirt. “I did,” he said with a light blush. “And I was embarrassed as well… I could handle you being angry but I didn’t want to see your disappointment.”

Kurt tried not to let the pity show on his face since it was the last thing the slave needed to see. “I could never be disappointed in you. It’s the rest of the world that makes me angry.”

Blaine looked much calmer now. “You are so focused on the bad things that you forget that nice people exist too. You for once give me hope in humanity.”

Kurt was about to say something when they heard footsteps and turned around to see who it was. The teen recognised the same boy, who had cornered him in the school’s bathroom in the beginning of the week.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the cutest couple ever…”


	12. Chapter 12

**December 6, 2012**

“So, I was right about you, princess,” the guy smirked and it sent shivers up Kurt’s spine.

He remembered his dad’s words about slaves – it wasn’t illegal to treat them nicely, hence, he wasn’t doing anything wrong simply sitting with Blaine in the park. On the other hand, this guy seemed like the type of people who would enjoy hurting others, slaves being the priority. Since they were in a secluded part of the park on a cold winter day, the teen knew they were in a big trouble.

“Hi, Puck,” Blaine spoke and Kurt looked at him with disbelief just to see a small smile on the boy’s face.

“Hey, Blainers,” the guy – Puck – said and walked closer to them, his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

“You two know each other,” Kurt said, not sure if it was supposed to be a statement or a question.

Puck snorted. “No, we are on the first name basis but we don’t know each–” he began but cut off himself when he finally got close enough to take in Blaine’s appearance. “Who gave you that black eye?”

“I don’t–” the slave boy said with uneasiness and Kurt felt like it was his cue to take over.

“It was Finn.”

“Finn?”

“Yeah. Big guy, goes to our school, currently dating my friend Rachel,” Kurt elaborated.

“I know who he is,” Puck said and sat down on the bench nearby so that Blaine was inbetween the two students. “Why did he do this to Blaine?”

Kurt looked down to the ground, not able to look at neither of them. “It’s my fault, actually. I gave Blaine my jacket, Rachel saw it, thought Blaine had stolen it and told Finn…”

“Let me get this straight,” the boy said, coldness in his strained voice, “that Berry chick is responsible for Blaine’s injuries and you still hang out with her? Not cool, princess.”

“It’s not like I have many options,” Kurt said defensively, though he knew that his excuses were worthless. “McKinley isn’t the friendliest place.”

“You could be my bestie,” Puck suggested with a fake laugh. “We could braid each other’s hair and shit like that.”

“You will not touch my hair and I won’t ever come close to that thing on your head, you probably breed lice in there,” Kurt retorted angrily.

He could see that Puck was about to respond but before any of them said anything, Kurt heard the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. It took him a moment to realise where it was coming from but one look at Blaine’s face said it all – the boy was laughing. Not just smiling or silently giggling, he was fully laughing, big toothy smile on his face. Kurt shared a look with the other guy, who was just as surprised as he was, and they both joined in, not able to resist the contagious laughter. It wasn’t _that_ funny but for some reason none of them could stop laughing. Whenever one of them was about to calm down, he would look at the other two and another wave of laughter took over. In the end, they all had tears in their eyes.

“I hope nobody saw this,” Puck said breathlessly.

“Would that ruin your reputation?” Kurt teased him, trying to catch his own breath.

“Puck tries really hard to pretend to be a badass but in reality he is a big softy,” Blaine explained with a smile.

“One more word and I’ll kick your ass,” Puck threatened jokingly.

“And I’ll pretend to be afraid.”

Kurt watched their exchange with a fond smile. He had been so wrong about Puck. He knew better than to judge a book by its cover but he did and he had never been more wrong. He already regretted ever comparing him with his girl friends, especially knowing absolutely nothing about the guy.

“Before I forget,” Puck said in a moment, taking something out of his bag. “I brought you today’s newspaper. I kind of borrowed it from the library…”

Blaine took the offered newspaper. “Thanks. You know, it wouldn’t do you any harm if you ever looked through it.”

“Nah, they are pretty boring. I don’t care what’s happening outside of Lima.”

Blaine shook his head and put the newspaper on the bench, first making sure it wasn’t wet.

Kurt looked at him curiously. “You like to read?”

The slave nodded. “Unlike Puck, I like to know what’s happening. And they kind of keep me warm at night,” the boy finished with a blush.

Now that the boy was at ease, it seemed like a good time to ask questions. “Where do you sleep?” Kurt started with the simplest one.

Blaine squirmed uncomfortably. “Some place,” he answered vaguely and it occurred to Kurt that for his own safety the boy didn’t want anyone knowing where to find him at night when he was most vulnerable.

“No, I mean, do you have a mattress or some blankets?” the teenager rephrased his question.

“I stole a couple of blankets for him when I was working at Sheet-N-Things,” Puck said and saw the judgemental look on Kurt’s face. “What? My family is broke, it’s the only way I could help Blainers. And ever since I got back from juvie, I can’t steal as much as I did…”

“You are my friend and you saved my life last winter,” Blaine spoke softly. “It’s all that matters.”

“Except I wish I could help you more,” Puck mumbled.

“And I wish you could stay out of trouble for longer than a few months.”

“Well, I’m here now,” Kurt cut in. “Puck won’t have to steal stuff for you anymore because I’m here to help.”

Blaine shook his head frantically, looking at him with his big eyes. “No, I know it’s cliché but I don’t want to be a charity case. Thank you for your good intentions but it’s enough that you treat me like a human being.”

“It’s not a charity case if you are just helping out a friend,” Kurt argued.

“Listen to princess, Blainers,” Puck nodded in agreement.

“Will you stop calling me that?” the countertenor frowned.

The curly-haired boy laughed at that. “Don’t even bother, Kurt, I’ve been trying for over a year to get him to stop calling me Blainers or pet names. He just likes hitting on people.”

“You mean, gorgeous people like princess or you, hottie.”

“Do I need to remind you that you are straight?” Blaine asked with a snort.

“I can appreciate a pretty face when I see one,” Puck winked at him.

The two of them began bickering and Kurt fell into his thoughts, mostly about Blaine’s sleeping arrangements. The blankets Puck had stolen couldn’t have been thick since he had to somehow sneak them out and it would have been very difficult to not be noticed with a big blanket under a shirt. Also, Blaine mentioned using newspapers to keep the warmth, which only confirmed Kurt’s suspicions. Fortunately, he had an idea.

“Hey, guys, do you think you are going to be here in twenty minutes?” he found a good timing to interrupt their conversation. “I need to go somewhere really quick but I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

Blaine nodded and Puck looked suspiciously at Kurt. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing much,” Kurt shrugged. “Just need to go home for a minute. I’ll come back soon.”

“I’ll walk you to your car,” the mohawked boy said and stood up together with Kurt. “I’ll be right back, Blainers.”

“See you soon,” the slave boy offered and opened the newspaper to look for an interesting article to read.

When Kurt and Puck were far enough for Blaine to be unable to hear or see them, the taller boy stopped the countertenor. “I need to have a word with you, princess.”

Kurt frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. “What is it about?”

“I just wanted to let you know that if you hurt my boy, I will kick your ass back to that European village that you came from.”

“I would never hurt him,” Kurt defended himself. He did care for Blaine and hurting him was the last thing on his mind.

“You already indirectly did it,” Puck said and gestured to the place they came from. “That bruise on his face? It’s your fault. I bet there are more under his clothes.”

“I didn’t mean to–”

“You hang out with that bitch, who told Hudson to beat up Blainers. I don’t trust you but for the sake of my friend I’m going to pretend to like you. Just know that I’ll be watching you,” Puck finished his rant and turned around to leave. “He’s been through enough and if you add some shit to that list, I won’t hesitate to hurt you. It would be worth going back to juvie.”

“You won’t have to,” Kurt said to Puck’s retreating back, “because I won’t hurt him. Not again.”

“Prove that,” the other boy said and disappeared behind the trees.

Just like that Kurt was left with a hanging question – how do you prove that you _won’t do_ something bad? First step, do something right.

Trying to block Puck’s words, the boy went to his car and drove home. He knew that later that night he would go through each sentence, overthinking it, blaming himself for what happened because what Puck said was true but right now he had a mission to complete and getting lost in negative thoughts was not a part of his plan.

When Kurt got home, he found the house empty just like he expected since his dad was still supposed to be at work. He went straight to the garage where they kept some of the boxes, one of them holding the thing he desperately wanted to give Blaine. It took good five minutes but finally he retrieved one of the sleeping bags that he and his dad bought a couple of years ago for their first (and last) camping trip. It was much too warm to use at home during the sleepovers so he was sure that Burt wouldn’t notice it was missing.

The boy was about to leave when he noticed another box, labelled ‘Toys.’ It wasn’t big and it held just a few old toys from his childhood that Kurt didn’t want to part with and put them in his room as decorations. He hadn’t done it yet in his new room and at that moment he was glad he hadn’t because he realised it was time for him to part with one of them.

The teen put the sleeping bag on the floor, opened the box, and carefully looked through the toys it held. Most of them were stuffed toys with an exception of his old power ranger action figures.

The toy he wanted was on the very bottom of the box. Kurt dug through it until he found it – a medium size dark brown teddy bear with a bowtie and a smile. It was very old but still in a perfect condition. Kurt remembered his mother giving it to him when he was having an extensive period of nightmares.

_It will protect you at night…_

It was perfect. He knew it was silly and a toy couldn’t really do anything for protection but the sentiment behind it was beautiful. Not to mention that Blaine probably hadn’t had any physical affection extended to him for god knows how long and having something to pull close and snuggle with may be something that he was craving for.

Grabbing both things Kurt left the garage and drove back to the park, hoping that Blaine would still be there even though he took longer than twenty minutes. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Puck but he secretly hoped that he was no longer there.

Unfortunately for him, Puck was still there, skipping pebbles while Blaine read the newspaper, his feet on the bench to protect them from the cold ground.

“I’m back,” the boy announced and the duo looked up at him. “I brought something for you, Blaine.”

“Ku-urt, I told you you didn’t have to,” the boy bit his bottom lip and closed the newspaper. “You keep giving me stuff and I don’t know how to thank you. It makes me feel useless…”

Kurt’s face fell. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know I made you feel like this…”

“Put that pride aside, Blainers,” Puck rolled his eyes. “If you don’t accept help when it’s offered, you won’t survive this winter.”

Blaine blushed at that but said nothing.

“Puck is right,” Kurt reasoned and sat down next to the slave boy. “I watched the weather forecast and it’s just going to get worse. I can afford to help you and I want to. I wouldn’t forgive myself if something happened to you, especially since I could prevent that. So, please, will you accept my gift?”

Blaine had tears in his eyes and it was obvious that if he tried to talk, they would start running down his cheeks. Trying to keep some pride, the boy nodded and said nothing.

Kurt smiled encouragingly at him and gave him the bag first. “It’s a sleeping bag. My dad and I bought it when we decided to go camping one time. To be honest, camping was not for us, we ended up packing up our stuff in the middle of the night and going home. Since I don’t think we will ever use it, you should have it.”

Since Blaine didn’t make a move to take it, Kurt put it on the ground and offered the boy the toy. “I know you don’t like people to come too close to you but I really want to give you a hug. So, I thought, if you didn‘t let _me_ hug you, then maybe you would let Mr. Honey hug you instead? He likes cuddles and I’m sure you could give him that. And if he gets dirty you can always give him to me to wash him.”

Blaine took the toy and a smile appeared on his face. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“Oh, I’m going to throw up…” Puck complained.

“Behave, Noah,” Blaine shot back.

“Noah?” Kurt snorted. “Your name is Noah?”

“Yes, it is, but don’t call me that. It’s Puck for you, princess,” the boy raised his right fist threateningly.

“And it’s Kurt for you, _Noah_ ,” Kurt smirked and gave his full attention to Blaine.

The boy was sitting there, gently running his fingers over the toy’s fur. His careful movements told Kurt that the other boy was trying not to dirty the clean toy but still couldn’t help but keep touching it. It was endearing to watch him like that.

The silence among them was broken by Puck who came closer to them. “I have to get going,” he said. “Business to attend, girls to fuck. I’m a busy man.”

Kurt looked at his watch to see that it was probably the time for him to start on dinner. “I’ll be going too. Do you want me to give you a lift somewhere, Blaine?”

The boy shook his head. “No, thank you, Kurt. I’ll stay here for a bit longer.”

“I don’t get it,” Puck looked at him disapprovingly. “It’s freezing here and it’s an open area so nothing covers you from wind. You will get sick.”

“I walk when I get cold,” Blaine said and hugged the toy. “Besides, now I have Mr. Honey to keep me warm.”

“You are crazy,” Puck shook his head. “See you in a few, man.”

“Bye… See you around, Kurt,” Blaine said with a smile.

“Yeah, see you around…”

With that Kurt and Puck left the boy alone, walking together in silence. They reached the gates of the park when Kurt decided to ask the other boy a question, despite Puck disliking him.

“What did you mean when you said you would ‘see him in a few’?”

“I meant I’ll see him in a few days.”

“How do you know that?”

“Blaine and I have set days, times and places where we meet every week,” Puck explained. “It’s not like I could text him to suggest meeting up anyway.”

“When is the next meeting?” Kurt asked, hoping to find out when he would be able to see Blaine if he didn’t run into him by accident.

Puck snorted. “As if I would tell you. I told you I didn’t trust you. Just because you gave Blaine that stuff doesn’t mean that your intentions are good. For what I know you may be doing this for the jocks, trying to gather some info about my boy so that they can have their way with him.”

“You are crazy,” Kurt shook his head and went to his car, Puck doing the same.

As he drove home, the countertenor kept thinking about the mohawked boy. He came off as a typical badboy with criminal record, who also appeared to be protective when it came to people he cared about. He was still quite sceptical about the delinquent teenager but when he saw Finn sporting a black eye larger than Blaine’s the following day at school, Kurt knew that Puck was only looking out for his friend.


	13. Chapter 13

**December 7, 2012**

“You have to help me choose what to wear tonight.”

“Excuse me?” Kurt almost choked on the cereal he was eating.

It was a Friday morning and the teenager was having breakfast with his dad, before they parted for the day – one to school and the other one to work. Nothing was out of ordinary, except for the fact that Burt was more fidgety than Kurt could ever remember seeing him.

“I’m sure you heard what I said. You set me up for this so you are going to help me,” Burt said pushing the bowl of his unfinished breakfast.

“First of all, I didn’t set you up for anything. It’s two friends catching up after not seeing each other for years. Unless you want it to be a date, it’s not,” Kurt said with a grin. “Fortunately for you, your amazing son has a great taste in clothes and is willing to lend you his hand in picking out an outfit. Though I’m not sure how I’m going to survive going through all that plaid disaster that you call your closet.”

“That’s the spirit I was looking for!” Burt laughed and took his bowl to the sink. “I can’t eat anymore.”

 Kurt shook his head. “You would think you were a teenager going on his first date and freaking out thinking it would turn out to be a disaster.”

“I haven’t been on a date since your mother, I’m rusty,” Burt said and after a moment looked at Kurt with a serious look on his face. “Hypothetically speaking, if this was a date, would you be okay with that?”

The boy finished the last drops of milk and went to wash his bowl. “You need a woman in your life, dad. You have been lonely for too long.”

“I have you.”

“That’s true but I’ll go to college soon and I would feel better knowing that you weren’t alone,” the boy said and finished cleaning up. “Besides, I need an ally to help me talk you into a makeover. Two against one always works better.”

“Good luck with that,” Burt rolled his eyes. “You’ve been trying for a very long time and still I have made no change. Don’t think some woman will get it done.”

“Not some woman, dad, but _the_ woman. You just haven’t met the right person yet.”

“The right person for me or you?”

“Both,” Kurt winked at his dad. “Anyway, I’ll be late if I don’t leave now. Make sure you get some lunch even if you don’t feel hungry.”

“What if I feel like I’m about to throw up?”

“Eat anyway,” the boy said. “I’ll see you in the evening.”

“Have fun at school.”

***

Unfortunately, by the end of the day, ‘fun’ was the last word he would have used to describe his time at school.

When he got to Spanish, Mercedes wasn’t there and it was strange. Now that he went to school by his own car, he usually arrived a few minutes before his first class started and his friend was always there. This time she was late and Kurt got worried about her. He checked his phone but saw no new messages.

When she finally did arrive, she was ten minutes late, looking positively angry.

“You are late, Mercedes,” their teacher – Mr. Schuester – commented when the girl entered the classroom.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Schue. My slave was acting out and I had to punish it. I promise, it won’t happen again,” she said breathlessly, as if she had been running.

“Okay, I’ll let you off the hook this time but make sure to take care of your slave at proper timings,” the teacher said and Mercedes went to take her seat.

Kurt waved her ‘hello’ but other than that he didn’t try to communicate with his friend. The class went on and after the rest equally boring forty minutes, it was over. At first he succeeded avoiding the topic but when they were walking to their next class, Mercedes brought it up herself.

“You won’t believe what happened this morning,” she said. “Yesterday I told my slave to write my geography essay. This morning, I got up, went to the study room and you know what? The essay was still unfinished and that lazy bastard was asleep! It is useless, I should sell it and buy a new one.”

Kurt made an indistinct noise in the back of his throat, hoping that the girl would not push him for a better response. Luckily, she was too caught up in her own problems to notice anything. For a few seconds the countertenor felt relieved only until someone passed him, bumping harshly on his shoulder. Kurt looked up to see Puck looking over his shoulder at him. The feeling of uneasiness settled in his stomach but the other boy did nothing and just walked away.

When Mercedes and Kurt reached their next classroom, Rachel was already there, beaming at them. “I won, I won, I won!” she squealed. “My slave is arriving tomorrow in the afternoon and you two are invited to a sleepover at my place. Come at around seven. Kurt, I’ll text you my address. There is no need to bring anything except your pyjamas since I will provide sleeping bags, snacks and a few musicals for us. And my slave will provide us a high standard service. It’s going to be so much fun!”

Mercedes’ eyes grew big with an equal excitement. “That’s awesome! If you want I could bring my slave and we could compare them so you would know what your slave is lacking in training.”

“That’s very kind of you, ‘Cedes, but we’ve had a house slave for as long as I remember so I’ll be fine evaluating it. So thank you but no, thank you.”

“Well, if you ever want to do that, the offer still stands,” Mercedes winked at her and they finally went into the classroom as their teacher was already approaching. “Kurt, do you think your dad will let you come over Rachel’s?”

Kurt nodded without hesitation. “He’ll be okay with it, I’m sure. I’ve been on my best behaviour and he actually wants me to leave the house more often.”

“You are lucky to have us then,” Rachel laughed and their teacher announced the beginning of the class.

***

For a while things went normally for Kurt but people say that ‘there is calm before the storm’ for a reason. The storm in his case came during the lunch break.

As always Kurt went alone to the cafeteria to find Rachel and Mercedes already in a queue saving a spot for him. At least that’s what they called it whenever Kurt jumped the queue to join them.

The teen grabbed some fruit salad and natural yogurt together with Rachel and didn’t even complain as it was already normal for him. The trio went to their usual table and began to talk about their English assignment when Rachel’s boyfriend Finn decided to join them.

“Hey guys,” a tall bulky guy said in a low voice and sat down next to Rachel, who at first looked at him with big heart-eyes until she took in his appearance.

“Oh my god, what happened to your face?!” she asked horrified and touched a dark bruise around Finn’s left eye.

“Nothing I can’t take care of,” the jock said and took a piece of Rachel’s apple. He then noticed Kurt who was still to be introduced. “I don’t know you.”

“Oh yes, right,” Rachel remembered. “I can’t believe I haven’t introduced the two of you yet. Finn, this is my new friend Kurt Hummel. He is French. Kurt, this is my boyfriend Finn Hudson.”

“Hi,” Kurt said politely. “Nice to meet you. Though I’m not French.”

“Whatever, dude,” Finn said nonchalantly and looked at Rachel. “My friends and I have something to do tonight so I’ll have to cancel on you.”

Rachel frowned at him. “What’s more important than your girlfriend?” she glared at him angrily.

“Don’t be like that,” Finn rolled his eyes. “I can’t have guys thinking that I’m weak,” he said pointing at his injured eye.

Kurt, however, didn’t hear their silent exchange, distracted by Mercedes, who was explaining to him why she didn’t like Shakespeare, whose plays they were analysing in class.

“Karofsky is waiting for me,” Finn said in a moment and stood up. “I’ll see you later.”

The jock kissed his girlfriend on a cheek and left. Rachel sat there pouting, like a kid who didn’t get what he wanted.

“It’s unfair!” she grumbled. “Why did he have to ruin my mood like that? I had everything planned for this weekend. Tonight I was supposed to go on a date with my boyfriend, tomorrow I’m getting a slave and having a sleepover with you, guys, and on Sunday I’m going shopping for my slave. Perfect weekend! And now Finn had to ruin it all for me…”

Kurt knew the girl was being silly but couldn’t help but comfort her. “Hey, don’t be upset. He must have an important reason to cancel your date. I’m sure he will make up for it. Think about the positive things. Like our sleepover! It’s going to be fun.”

Mercedes nodded at that and stuffed another tot in her mouth. “The boy is right. Forget Finn – tomorrow you are getting a much better looking toy. It’s even better because you can get morally ready for that tonight. Take a long relaxing bath, go to bed early. Enjoy your last night without a personal servant.”

“You know what? You are right,” the girl nodded enthusiastically. “Starting tomorrow I will have the time of my life so I won’t let that stupid Finn ruin my mood. Thank you, guys.”

“You are very welcome,” Mercedes smiled. “Have you thought about what you would do if your slave turned out to be disobedient and impossible to train?”

“Why would I?” Rachel questioned her. “My dads never resell slaves. I know it’s uncommon but they have this policy that it looks bad to do it. I don’t completely understand that but since we don’t have financial problems, I don’t mind it. They usually take them to some other city but I think I would prefer seeing my slave in Lima. It could be smelly-ass’ bestie. And seeing me it would always feel the shame of not having been good enough for me. Still, I’m hoping it will be good.”

Kurt gave her a fake smile and played with the fruits in his plastic box. “Change of subject. Have you seen the newest collection of–”

“Hey, ladies,” a voice came from behind Kurt and the boy instantly recognised it. “Can I borrow _Kurt_ for a moment?”

“Ew, Puckerman, get lost,” Rachel looked at him with disgust. “Nobody wants you here.”

“It’s okay,” Kurt reassured her, curious about what Puck wanted from him. He hoped that Blaine was fine. “It won’t take long.”

Kurt stood up and grabbed his bag just in case it did take long. Puck walked in front of him and the teenager just followed him until they ended up in the same bathroom they were in the first time they met. This time there was another person there.

“Get out!” Puck shouted at the boy, who was washing his hands.

The said boy quickly finished and ran out of the bathroom without wiping his hands.

“What do you want, Noah?” Kurt asked watching the other boy pace the floor.

“I want to know what you want from Blaine,” he finally said and Kurt frowned at that.

“I want to help him,” he said, tiredness in his voice. He hated having to defend himself in front of the boy once again.

Puck laughed coldly at that. “Help him? You are a hypocrite, princess. Yeah, I know some big words. You pretend to care about Blaine, you give him some charity but in the end, you are no better than any of those _friends_ of yours,” he said spitefully. “I’ve heard you talking to them. Secretly being nice to a slave and then lying everyone in their faces don’t make you a better person. Actually, it’s even worse. At least they are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in. You, on the other hand, imagine yourself as some saint but in reality you are doing this only to calm your conscience.”

Kurt stood there stunned, not able to utter a word, his hands clutching to the strap of his bag.

“Is it helping you to fall asleep at night? Does knowing that Blaine treasures your newly formed friendship make you laugh? Do you ever see his smile in your head whenever your so called friends call him smelly-ass? Do you feel proud of yourself each time you get him to open up more and more to you?” Puck yelled, his voice getting louder and louder. “Answer me!”

Kurt couldn’t answer though. He could only stand there thinking of what had just been said to him. Deep down he knew it all along but hearing it from someone else was different.

“What? Are you going to keep quiet just like you do whenever your _friends_ make fun of slaves? Of Blaine? You know what? Until you grow a pair, don’t dare speaking to Blaine. Don’t even look at him because you are not worth of his friendship. You are disgusting, _princess._ ”

Finally Kurt mustered the courage to speak up. “No, you can’t tell me not to see him anymore.”

“Oh, I can.”

“No! I care for him, I really do. Honestly, I have no idea what I’m doing most of the time but I do know that I want to help him, I want to be his friend,” Kurt said, words coming out as a plea. “Yes, what I do with Mercedes and Rachel is wrong and probably it does make me a hypocrite but it doesn’t mean that I’ll hurt Blaine.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” Puck grimaced. “Today you sat with a person, who physically hurt Blaine. You chatted with him and were all friendly. Well, did you get a good look at that bruise on his face? I hope you did because if I have to, I won’t hesitate to put one on you too.”

With that the boy stormed out of the bathroom, leaving Kurt alone with guilt. He vaguely heard the bell announcing the end of the lunch break but he ignored it. No matter how hard he tried, he knew he wouldn’t be able to concentrate anyway. 


	14. Chapter 14

**December 7, 2012**

The rest of school went by in a blur for Kurt. He missed the fourth period trying to calm down and he knew he would hear from his dad about that. After such emotional day he really wasn’t looking forward to facing his dad.

As the handles of the clock came closer and closer to the time Burt was supposed to come back home, Kurt began to feel more and more restless. He wasn’t afraid of being punished, more than anything he was worried about an interrogation he would be getting. Not to mention he was ashamed of skipping class. His only hope was a possibility that his dad hadn’t been contacted. No such luck.

“Kurt?” Burt called as soon as he entered the house.

“In the kitchen,” Kurt shouted back and waited for his father to come to him.

The man came in and without a word poured himself a glass of water and drank it all. “I got an interesting phone call from your school today,” he finally spoke. “They say you missed a class.”

Kurt looked at the ground. “I wasn’t feeling well…” he mumbled.

Burt sighed and sat down in front of the boy. “Are you having any problems with your teacher or classmates?”

Kurt shook his head. “No, everything is fine, I just didn’t feel like going… I wouldn’t have been able to focus anyway.”

“Kurt, I know that this whole moving was hard on you. I know you miss Paris but, please, don’t go all rebellious teenager on me now, okay?”

“Dad, it’s really nothing. I promise it won’t happen again. It was a mistake and I won’t repeat it,” the boy reassured his dad.

“Mind telling me what happened?”

“It’s nothing bad but it may ruin your mood and right now you need to be in an impeccable condition,” Kurt said in a hope to distract Burt by reminding him about his non-date.

“Well, now I’m worried. If it’s something that may ruin my mood I need to know because if I don’t I will keep thinking about it the whole evening.”

“It’s just some… friends issues. They got me upset and all… Nothing serious, I promise.”

Burt sighed. “Keeping secrets from me, huh? Maybe you _are_ going to be a normal teenager after all,” he said with a teasing smile.

The boy decided to use the lightened mood to his advantage. “Say, is it too early for me to ask if I can have a sleepover with Mercedes and Rachel tomorrow? It’s at Rachel’s place.”

“I don’t know… I think I should ground you,” Burt thought for a moment.

“Please, dad, I really want to go,” Kurt pleaded. “Um, recently I made a… friend, who made me realise that the girls aren’t the people I should be hanging out with. You know, with our differences and all. But then I thought, everyone deserves a second chance, right? So I was thinking I would spend a night with them and see how it goes.”

“And if you don’t like them afterwards?”

“I’ll stop hanging out with them,” Kurt said. “And I will try harder to make new friends.”

Burt remained silent for a few moments, thinking over what his son had just said. “I like that new friend of yours. Fine, you can go. Just make sure to make a good decision. Don’t be reckless.”

Kurt nodded. “I think I know what my decision is going to be but I want to think it through first. This sleepover is going to help me. Sometimes I like them, sometimes I don’t…”

“I never did,” Burt muttered. “Okay, enough about that. Have you thought about what I should be wearing tonight?”

“I may have something in mind.”

***

In the end Burt’s non-date was a success and the first thing he announced after coming back home was that he actually got a real date coming up the following week. The man was happy and Kurt was happy for him too. Burt also mentioned Carole having a son of Kurt’s age so maybe making new friends would be easier than he thought it would be.

Kurt spent the whole evening occupying himself with homework, knowing it would be a perfect distraction but once in bed, his mind went crazy.

_You pretend to care about Blaine…_

He didn’t. He really cared for him and he didn’t even know why. Yes, the boy had it bad in his life but so did many other people. There was just something special about Blaine.

_Secretly being nice to a slave and then lying everyone in their faces don’t make you a better person…_

No, he didn’t think he was better than anyone else. On the contrary, every time his friends mentioned slavery, he felt like the biggest traitor, abandoning his beliefs just to be accepted by people who didn’t care about him.

_At least they are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in…_

He used to be able to do that. He was always strong-headed and never afraid to voice his opinion. Right now he was none of that. He didn’t even know himself anymore.

_…in reality you are doing this only to calm your conscience…_

He had to admit, helping Blaine made him feel better. Was it for selfish reasons or not, he wasn’t sure.

_Is it helping you to fall asleep at night?.._

Kurt looked at the clock to see it was three in the morning. No, it wasn’t helping him to fall asleep, otherwise he would have been out cold by then.

_Does knowing that Blaine treasures your newly formed friendship make you laugh?.._

It didn’t. It made him happy.

_Do you ever see his smile in your head whenever your so called friends call him smelly-ass?.._

He didn’t. He saw a scared barefoot boy, kneeling in front of anyone and pleading not to hurt him.

_Do you feel proud of yourself each time you get him to open up more and more to you?.._

He did. Every time Blaine smiled at him or initiated a conversation, Kurt felt like he accomplished something big. Little by little he was gaining Blaine’s trust and the countertenor felt proud of himself for being seen as trustworthy.

_Are you going to keep quiet just like you do whenever your friends make fun of slaves?.._

Not anymore. He remained silent for too long, betraying himself. He didn’t want it to continue. It had to stop.

_…don’t dare speaking to Blaine… you are not worth of his friendship…_

He knew that much and he was about to change it. He would earn the right to be called Blaine’s friend. Puck could think whatever he wanted…

***

**December 8, 2012**

The following day was dedicated to cleaning the house like the Hummels always did. Manual work did help Kurt to release the negative emotions that he had been holding. His dad even commented on him being particularly angry at some spot on the floor.

What working didn’t help with was distracting him from his thoughts. Cleaning didn’t require much thinking so his thoughts were left to wander. He actually began to regret asking for the permission to go to Rachel’s. Even though he was all for giving second chances, he knew it was in vain – the girls wouldn’t have changed per night and especially with Rachel’s new slave by their side the evening was going to be a disaster.

The teenager was putting the cleaning supplies back into their cupboard when his phone rang. It was a call from an unknown number.

“Hello?” he answered the call.

“Hey, princess,” a smug voice greeted him.

“How did you get my number?” Kurt asked. He never gave it to the boy.

“I have my ways,” Puck answered but didn’t supply any more details.

“Whatever. What do you want? I thought you hated me.”

“I don’t like you, that’s for sure,” the boy didn’t even bother to lie. “I just wanted to ask you if you’ve seen Blaine lately. Like yesterday or today?”

Kurt frowned at the question. “I haven’t seen him since Thursday but I spent the whole day at home today,” Kurt answered and was met with silence. “What’s going on?”

“Blaine was supposed to meet me this afternoon but he didn’t show up,” Puck explained and it was obvious he was worried.

“Maybe he didn’t check the time?” Kurt shrugged even though the other boy couldn’t see him. “One time he didn’t come to our meeting and a few days later...”

“What happened a few days later?”

“I saw him and he said he was embarrassed about losing the jacket,” the teenager explained, his mind going back to their meeting. “Is there any reason why Blaine could be avoiding you?”

“Not that I can think of… Unless,” Puck prolonged the silence, “I may have said some stuff on Thursday when you went home. But when we parted he looked alright.”

“Do you think it could be the reason why he didn’t come to meet you?” Kurt asked, trying to think logically even though he was beginning to feel worried.

“It might be but he’s never done that… I guess I’ll give him time and go see him tomorrow,” Puck decided in the end.

“You know where he lives?” Kurt asked in a heartbeat.

“None of your business, princess. I still don’t like you,” the boy said and hung up.

Kurt growled in frustration. It was annoying that Blaine and Puck seemed to be a package deal. If he really wanted to be the slave boy’s friend, he would have to put up with the boy who very inconveniently hated him. Nevertheless, he was determined to go with it.

***

At seven sharp Kurt found himself standing in front of the gates of a big house and for a moment Kurt thought that maybe he had gotten the address wrong. He doubled checked it to see that there was no mistake. Exiting his car the teen went to the speaker and pressed a button.

“Berry residence, who’s speaking?” a voice came from the speaker.

“Uh, it’s Kurt Hummel, Rachel Berry is expecting me?” he said, not sure if he was being formal enough or even if he was supposed to be.

The gates began to open and the voice spoke again. “Please, park the car by the pavement and come in, Sir.”

Kurt looked back at his car, already parked next to Mercedes’, and went inside. Once he was in, the gates started to close again. He got to the front door when they opened to reveal Rachel.

“Hi, Kurt! I’m so glad you could come. Come in, come in,” she said and stepped away to let the boy in. “Here are the slippers for you.”

“Thanks,” Kurt said and took off his boots. “Your house is gorgeous.”

“Thank you,” Rachel smiled widely at him. “We will be spending our evening in my bedroom. Mercedes is already there, waiting for us with my slave. It looks even better in reality! And it’s really well-trained so I think I won’t have any problem with it.”

“You are lucky,” Kurt forced a smile, feeling like this sleepover was a huge mistake.

“Okay, let’s go,” Rachel said and the two of them went upstairs to the girl’s room.

Kurt entered the room and felt sick at the sight in front of him. Mercedes was sitting on the bed with a bowl of popcorns in her lap, throwing them one by one at a boy, who was kneeling by the TV set, trying to catch the pieces with his mouth. Kurt recognised him as one of the slaves from the website.

“Kurt, this is my slave,” Rachel gestured even though it was unnecessary. “What do you want to drink? It will bring you whatever you want.”

“Not… nothing for me, I’m not thirsty,” he stuttered.

Rachel shrugged, failing to notice Kurt’s uneasiness. “Suit yourself but as soon as you get thirsty or want anything at all, just tell it and it will do whatever you ask for.”

“ _He_ ,” Kurt corrected her.

“ _It,_ Kurt, _it_ …” Mercedes rolled her eyes and threw another popcorn at the boy. “I thought we had taught you that already.”

Kurt put his overnight bag on the floor next to Mercedes’ and sat down on the bed. “Well, I always referred to people by proper pronouns,” he shrugged and took the bowl from the girl. “I love popcorns.”

“Kurt,” Rachel looked at him funnily, “slaves aren’t people, hence, we say ‘it’. If you used ‘he’ or ‘she’ in an English essay, you would get marked down. We are just looking out for you.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Kurt smiled at her. “So what are we watching?”

“Well,” Rachel beamed at his question. “I’ve prepared a few musicals for us but I was thinking maybe we should start with ‘Sweeney Todd’? I think it would be a bit too scary to watch in the middle of the night.”

“I love ‘Sweeney Todd’,” Kurt said and made himself more comfortable next to Mercedes, making more space for Rachel. “Not to mention that Johnny Depp is insanely handsome.”

“He definitely is,” Mercedes nodded enthusiastically. “Have you seen him in ‘The Tourist’? Such an eye-candy…”

“I prefer him in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ series,” Rachel argued. “Much better looking.”

“Because of the make-up?” Mercedes snorted. “I like the real deal.”

“What about you, Kurt?”

“I actually like him best as Sweeney,” the boy offered and they fell in silence, waiting for the film to start.

Before the first scene started, Rachel looked at her slaves. “Come massage my feet,” she ordered.

Kurt watched the boy crawl up to her and start carefully touching the girl’s feet.

“Not so strong!” Rachel hissed and kicked the boy in the face.

At that moment Kurt made his decision – it was the last time he was hanging out with the girls. He grabbed his phone and went straight to the ‘fake-a-call’ app, setting a call from his dad in forty minutes. Soon he would be out of there.

The film went on, mostly in silence, just a few comments here and there made by girls since Kurt didn’t like talking when he was watching something. One comment stood out though.

“I never liked Lucy,” Mercedes commented on Sweeney’s wife-turned-to-be-a-beggar, “Walking around the town in her rags being all crazy… She reminds me of smelly-ass.”

Kurt wanted to say that the slave had a name but Rachel beat him to it. “Not for long,” she said with some chips in her mouth.

“What do you mean?” Kurt frowned, totally forgetting about the film.

“Remember the stealing episode? Well, my dads were worried about it so they talked to some people and these people agreed that it’s time to take care of the problem,” she explained. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. Maybe they will throw it off a bridge and make it look like it did it itself. Maybe they will take it to some forest and leave it there. No idea. All I know is that soon Lima is going to be a much nicer place.”

“You… you do realise you are talking about someone’s life, right?” Kurt choked.

Rachel rolled her eyes, looking tired. “How many times will we have to tell you, Kurt? Slaves’ lives don’t matter. They live to serve us and if they don’t… well, it’s their fault. That thing on the streets is useless and dangerous so I don’t see why it’s wrong in any way to want to get rid of it. We will all be safer without it here.”

“Agreed,” Mercedes cut in. “I don’t feel safe walking alone at night. What if it attacks me and steals something? My phone is expensive as are my clothes.”

Kurt crawled off the bed and stood up, blocking the TV. “You are saying you are okay with someone being killed? Just like that? You don’t care at all?”

“We care about the well-being of the people of Lima,” Rachel explained calmly. “Come on, Kurt, sit down and enjoy the evening. Don’t ruin it to us because of some slave.”

“You know what? That boy is a better person than you ever will be,” he spat out and grabbed his bag. “I feel sorry for you. And for myself as well because I made myself suffer your company instead of finding real friends. Well, I’m done. I don’t ever want to talk to you.”

With that he stormed out of the room, leaving the girls with their mouths open. He would have felt great about finally speaking up if it wasn’t for the fact that Blaine was in a great danger.

Rachel’s house slave let him out and Kurt sped up home, praying not to get caught by police. Thankfully, luck was on his side and he made it home safely. He ran into the house to find Burt watching a game in the living room.

“Kurt? Why are you here? I thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow?” his dad asked with concern. “Is everything alright?”

“Blaine… like an accident… have to help… please, dad… they will hurt…”

“Kurt, take a few deep breaths,” Burt said and guided Kurt to sit on the couch. “Good. Now tell me what’s going on.”

Kurt calmed his breathing and finally was able to speak clearly. “Rachel told me that some people are looking for Blaine and they want to hurt him. I think they may try to kill him.”

“Who are these people?”

“I don’t know. Her dads talked to someone–”

“This is planned by _adults_?” Burt asked, unable to believe what he was hearing.

Kurt nodded, tears of fear spilling on his cheeks.

“Dad, please…”

Burt looked at his son and nodded. “To hell with the law. Let’s go.”


	15. Chapter 15

**December 8, 2012**

Kurt didn’t need to be told twice. He stood up, a bit too quickly, and his head started to spin. He shook it to get rid of the feeling and followed his dad, who was already putting on a jacket.

“Hurry up, dad,” Kurt urged the man.

“Kiddo, I need you to calm down,” he said and put his shoes on. “Come on.”

The boy ran out of the house and to his car when Burt’s voice stopped him. “What do you think you are doing? You are not driving.”

Kurt turned around to face his dad. “But dad, we need to split up. That way we will cover more places.”

“First of all, you are too emotional to drive. Secondly, I have no idea what the boy looks like or where to look for him. Not to mention that if I do find him, he won’t trust me and will probably just run away from me. So get in the car and tell me where to drive.”

Kurt hesitated for a moment but he knew his dad was right so there was no point in arguing. He hopped into the front seat and waited for Burt to get in.

“Where is that boy?”

“His name is Blaine, dad,” Kurt reminded him. “And… I don’t know where he is.”

The boy was close to hysteria but his dad didn’t let emotions get the best of him. “Okay, let’s start with the town centre and we will go from there, okay?”

“Yeah, okay…” the boy whispered and kept taking deep breaths to calm down.

If someone had told him a couple of weeks ago that he would be in a car with his dad looking everywhere for a slave so he wouldn’t be killed, Kurt would have suggested that person to go get their head tested. Now, it was his reality. What made it worse, it was all his fault since his jacket was the catalyst of the whole mess. Puck was right.

“Puck!” Kurt cried out and slid down in the seat to be able to take out his phone out of his pocket.

“Geez, you scared me here,” Burt shook his head, but his eyes were still on the road, looking for anything suspicious.

The boy went to his contacts where he had saved Puck’s number earlier and hit ‘call’. “I know someone who may know where Blaine lives. Come on, Puckerman, answer the phone…”

It took a long time and Kurt almost gave up when he heard the cracking noise and the phone was answered. “What do you want, princess?”

“I need you to tell me where Blaine lives,” Kurt went straight to the point.

Puck laughed. “I didn’t tell you earlier so why do you think I’ll tell you now?”

“Because someone is going to hurt him. My dad and I are looking for him and if we don’t find him… Come one, Noah, you are his friend.”

“I won’t fall for that,” the boy said and Kurt could hear music in the background. “Sorry, I have a party to attend.”

“Kurt, give me the phone,” Burt said and Kurt handed it to his dad. “Hi, it’s Noah, right?.. I’m Kurt’s dad. We are in my car driving around the town looking for Blaine. We want to help him and it would save us some trouble if you helped us out here… Look, I get it, you don’t know me and if I were you, I wouldn’t trust myself either but sometimes in life you have to take some risks and it’s time for you to do so… What we are going to do is find him and offer him a place in our house. If he doesn’t want to come with us, then we will respect his decision… I know what the law says but I won’t let some narrow-minded jerks kill an innocent boy… Fine, do that.”

Burt hung up on the phone and gave it back to Kurt. “He will text you the address where we are picking him up.”

“How… how did you manage to convince him?” Kurt looked at his dad with disbelief and respect.

“Apparently, he is ‘willing to help another delinquent especially when there is a possibility that Blaine may be hurt’ or something between the lines.”

The phone beeped and Kurt looked at the message that Puck had sent him. “I’ll put the address in the navigation system.”

He did that and less than ten minutes later they stopped in front of a poorly lit house. Puck was waiting for them there and got into a car in a matter of seconds.

“Hey, princess, papa Hummel,” he greeted them. “Now, tell me what’s going on.”

“Tell us where to go first,” Kurt demanded.

“I’ll give directions. Go straight until the end of the street and turn right,” Puck instructed. “Now, spit it out.”

“Rachel’s dads talked to someone about getting rid of Blaine,” Kurt explained. “The way she spoke about it, it seems that they want to kill him. I don’t know if it’s true or if it’s true then when they are going to do it but all I know is that I won’t risk it.”

“Blaine didn’t come,” Puck whispered to himself.

“What?” Kurt wasn’t sure what the other boy had just said.

“Blaine was supposed to meet me today but he didn’t come,” Puck said more loudly. “You fucking calmed me down! You said everything was fine and he was avoiding me!”

“I didn’t know what was going on then!” Kurt shouted back. “I was trying to be reasonable. And we don’t know anything yet, he may be safe and sound.”

“He is never safe and sound! Especially since you came into his life,” Puck yelled.

“Well, I’m not the one who knew where to find him but didn’t go to check on him so don’t go putting all the blame on me! I know where I’m to be blamed but not everything is my fault!”

Burt, who was growing angrier and angrier with each second, had enough of it. “Shut it! Both of you! If we want to find that boy and help him, we need to work as a team and right now you are doing the opposite of that. So if you don’t have anything useful to say, shut up. I don‘t want to hear you blaming each other.”

Both boys shut up, still fuming and their chests rising from the heavy breathing. “Now to the left,” Puck mumbled after a few moments.

They drove for a few more minutes in silence, except for Puck giving directions, until Kurt spoke up. “For what it’s worth, I won’t be hanging out with Rachel or Mercedes anymore. I can’t believe I ever did.”

“It doesn’t change anything,” Puck muttered. “To the left here.”

“I know,” Kurt sighed.

After a long pause Puck shook his head with a smile. “You may not be a lost cause after all… So, what opened your eyes?”

“I always saw them for what they were, I just chose to ignore it until one guy told me I was a hypocrite…”

“You are welcome,” the mohawked boy smirked.

“Wait, this guy is the friend you were talking about?” Burt caught up with the conversation.

“A friend? Aww, I’m touched, princess,” Puck joked.

“I just didn’t know what else to call you,” Kurt rolled his eyes.

“Why are you calling my son a ‘princess’?” Burt asked, his voice rising a little bit.

“Don’t mind him, dad,” Kurt stepped in, “he is just crazy.”

“Back in my day teenagers were easier to understand… Now you are just too weird for me.”

“Don’t worry, papa Hummel, as long as you don’t understand me you can consider yourself a sane person. To the right.”

They were getting closer to some road sign and Burt slowed down to take a better look at it. “Are we, by any chance, going to the abandoned sewing factory?” he asked and took up a normal speed.

“Yeah, you know where it is?” Puck asked.

“Yes, my mother used to work there,” Burt said and started driving more confidently now that he knew where exactly they were going. “Not too far from here.”

He was right and ten more minutes later they were parking the car next to a big factory that looked like it was from some horror film.

“Perfect place,” Puck explained when they were getting out of the car. “Too far from the town for kids to come and play and too boring for teenagers to come and explore. Usually they go to that creepy house on the other side of the town that’s said to be haunted.”

“It’s a big building, isn’t it cold inside?” Burt asked and they walked closer to the factory, a big flashlight in his hand.

“The first floor is because of the wind going through the big window holes but on the second floor the windows are very small and most of them still have glass so it’s not as bad.”

“Alright, do you know where the entrance is?” Burt asked once Puck finished his explanation.

“Right through the front door,” the boy said and led the way. When they were all inside, he gestured towards the staircase. “Blaine? It’s me, Puck. I brought Kurt here and his dad. We just want to talk to you, okay? Blaine? We are coming upstairs.”

Kurt frowned, trying his best to hear anything. “Why isn’t he answering? Blaine?”

“Let’s go upstairs,” Burt rushed them, walking first as he was holding the light.

Puck and Kurt added a bit of light with their phones and they started to go up, no sound of Blaine yet. “Through this door,” Puck gestured to a closed door. “He always sleeps in there.”

Burt opened the door and Kurt peeked over his shoulder to find a small room empty. “He’s not in there,” he told Puck, who was behind them.

“What?” the boy startled and looked for himself. “Shit, he should be here...”

“Don’t panic,” Burt said. “Let’s look around other rooms, okay? Maybe he found a warmer place or something.”

“Should we split up?” Kurt asked, seeing that his phone light was strong enough.

“No splitting up,” Burt said sternly. “This building is not safe, especially at night and I don’t want any of you wandering around, okay? Puck, he knows your voice best, shout a bit more.”

“Will do, papa Hummel,” Puck nodded and walked down the corridor. “Blaine? Blaine, it’s Puck. If you can hear me, say something.”

They waited for a few seconds, their ears tensed, trying to hear any kind of noise.

Burt ran his hand over his forehead. “Okay, Kurt, look what’s behind that door, Puck, look in there,” he said and went to the doorframe that held no door.

Kurt opened the door and looked inside to find yet another empty room. “Nothing in here.”

“He isn’t here either,” Puck shouted from the other room.

“Boys, I think I found him,” Burt’s voice came with an echo.

The boys ran through the doorway to find themselves in a big room where the sewing machines must have been held. Kurt lit his way to his dad, who was standing in the middle of the room. He could have been mistaken because of the poor light but he could have sworn there was blood on the floor. When they got close enough Kurt saw his dad kneeling next to an almost naked boy, whose body was covered only by a pair of boxer-briefs. While Burt checked the boy’s pulse, Kurt stared at the small figure clutching a headless teddy bear to his chest.


	16. Chapter 16

**December 8, 2012**

“Is he alive?” Puck asked, being the first to come out of his stupor and running to get a closer look.

In the meantime Kurt stood there in utter shock, not able to comprehend what was in front of him. He watched his dad taking off his jacket and throwing it over Blaine’s body. He heard the men talking something but his brain refused to work and all he heard was buzzing in his ears. The boy’s head was spinning until a sharp pain in his cheek woke him up.

“I didn’t tell you to hurt my son!” Burt yelled.

Kurt stroked his cheek and finally Puck’s pale face came into view.

“You hit me!” the teenager shouted angrily.

“I barely bitch-slapped you,” the other boy retorted and went back to his friend. “Now help us.”

“He’s alive?” Kurt asked and lit his way to the slave boy. In the phone’s light his bluish body looked dead.

Burt nodded. “He is but his pulse is weak. We need to get him warm as quickly as we can. Kurt, take off your jacket and wrap it around his legs, make sure his feet are covered; he is lucky he hasn’t gotten frostbite yet.”

Before Burt could finish, Kurt had his jacket off and was wrapping it around Blaine’s thin legs. Puck, whose leather jacket was covering the slave’s middle, was squatting further from them, looking at something on the ground.

“Noah?” Burt tried to get his attention. “You know this place the best. Take the car keys and go warm up the car. Put the heater on maximum. Kurt and I will get Blaine down.”

“Will do, papa Hummel,” Puck said and put something in his pocket.

He took the keys that Burt had extended to him and ran out of the room, barely looking where he was setting his feet.

“What should I do?” Kurt asked as he saw his dad inspecting Blaine’s head.

“You will light up the path for me,” Burt said, obviously relieved by what he had seen. “He doesn’t have any visible head wounds so if we are lucky, his neck should be fine as well. There is nothing to secure it with so we will just have to keep our fingers crossed.”

“I think I saw blood,” Kurt rushed to inform his dad just in case.

“Unfortunately it really was blood,” Burt muttered angrily. “Whoever did this to him, cut around his left wrist, probably a practical joke – a matching scar for his right wrist’s slave tattoo. At least it isn’t deep.”

_Who could do this to another human being…_

“Okay, I will lift him up and you light up the way,” Burt said after the final check-up. “Use the flashlight; it’s stronger than your phone.”

Kurt grabbed his dad’s flashlight from the floor and Burt lifted Blaine’s small body. The slave boy made a noise of protest but it didn’t look like he was back to consciousness. Kurt stood next to Burt so that they could both see where they were going. A few steps later the teenager stopped and ran back to where Blaine had been lying.

“What are you doing?” Burt asked annoyed.

“Nothing,” Kurt said hastily, grabbed the teddy bear’s body, and ran back to his dad. “Let’s go.”

Working in unison they made their way downstairs though at first it was tricky to descend the narrow staircase but after a few steps they worked out the tactics and didn’t waste too much time.

As quickly as they could they got to the running car and when they were close enough, Puck hopped out of it and closed the door to keep the warmth in. He opened the back door and got inside, ready to receive Blaine’s body.

“Quick, we can’t let the cold in,” he rushed the Hummel men.

Without a word Burt pushed the boy’s body feet first into the car and Puck took them, helping the man to guide Blaine’s body. The mohawked boy put Blaine’s legs over his lap and Burt lowered Blaine’s upper body on the seat.

“Kurt, get in the backseat, try to keep him warm,” the man instructed.

Without hesitation Kurt threw the teddy bear on the front seat, lifted Blaine’s head and torso and was surprised just how light he was. He slid under him and Burt slammed the door shut as soon as they were all inside. Soon they were driving away from the awful factory.

“Noah, try to warm up Blaine’s hands,” Burt instructed, taking a turn. “Kurt, press Blaine’s head to your belly and put your left hand over his other ear and cheek. Use your right hand to google some stuff about freezing. And hypothermia, I’m sure he has it, it seems he was naked in the cold for a long time.”

Puck, who was rubbing Blaine’s hands, looked curiously at the man. “You know a lot about medicine, papa Hummel…”

“Just using my common sense. And putting years of watching television into practice,” the man said and sped up on the empty road. “I don’t remember the last time I was speeding.”

“It’s for the good cause,” Puck approved the illegal action.

During their exchange Kurt skimmed some website on his phone. “I think you are right about hypothermia, dad. It all suits the situation and Blaine’s condition.”

“Look up treatment,” Burt said. “We need to come up with an action plan by the time we arrive home so we can work efficiently.”

“Okay,” Kurt said slowly, looking for the information on his phone. “Found it.

_Begin rewarming the person with extra clothing. Use warm blankets. Other helpful items for warming are: an electric blanket to the torso area and hot packs and heating pad on the torso, armpits, neck, and groin; however, these can cause burns to the skin._

_If the hypothermic person is unconscious, or has no pulse or signs of breathing, call for emergency help right away. CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) should be given immediately._

Blaine is unconscious, shouldn’t we give him a CPR?”

“He has a pulse and he is still breathing, right?” Burt asked and Kurt affirmed his guesses after checking it quickly. “Um, keep an eye on his breathing. If there are changes I’ll do the CPR.”

“Okay.

 _Complications during recovery include pneumonia, heart arrhythmias, ventricular fibrillation (a dangerous "fluttering" rhythm of the heart), cardiac arrest (a sudden stopping of the heartbeat), and death_.”

“Let’s worry about these later, we need to focus on rewarming him first,” Burt said.

“We should put him in a hot bath,” Puck suggested. “It’s faster than blankets and heating pads.”

“Let me check,” Kurt said and typed something in his phone. “It says here not to do that.

 _You should not put the cold person into a hot bath to warm them up – this will cause the blood vessels in the arms and legs to dilate (open up) too quickly and cause a fall in blood pressure to the vital organs such as the brain, heart, lungs and kidneys, possibly leading to cardiac arrest and death_.”

“Holy shit,” Puck cursed, his eyes growing big. “Thanks god for the internet; I would have killed him.”

“Should we take him to a hospital?” Kurt asked. “In every website they suggest hospital for severe cases and Blaine definitely fits the description.”

“We can’t,” Burt answered with a sigh. “We could only take him to a vet since he is a slave and vets don’t work overnight. Tomorrow is Sunday so they won’t be working either.”

“What about Carole?” Kurt suddenly remembered the woman’s profession.

“What we are doing right now is illegal and I don’t know where Carole stands when it comes to slavery. She may help us but there is a possibility she would go to police. The fewer people know, the better.”

Kurt still wasn’t convinced but reluctantly agreed that his dad was probably right.

“So what’s the plan?” Puck asked after a moment.

Burt thought for a moment. “Um, okay, when we reach–”

“Shit, Puck, stop rubbing his hands!” Kurt yelled in panic. “It’s says here it will make things worse!

 _Do not attempt to warm the arms and legs, as this will push cold blood back toward the heart, lungs and brain_. _Focus on the chest, neck, head, and groin._ ”

“Fuck, I told you I would kill him,” Puck panicked and instantly released Blaine’s hands. “Okay, I’m not going anywhere near his groin though.”

“Actually there isn’t much you can do right now,” Kurt said. “It says here that you shouldn’t massage any part of his body.”

“Well done, Kurt,” Burt praised his son. “Now what we are going to do… When we arrive home, I will drive into the garage and you, Kurt, will run and unlock the door. Then you will come back and help Noah to get Blaine into the house. Meanwhile I will look for the electric blanket; it’s in one of the boxes.”

“Where should we put Blaine?” Kurt asked.

“Your room is the warmest so take him there,” Burt said immediately. “Take off the jackets, put some warm blankets over him. Then you, Noah, will stay with him and keep an eye on him. If there are any changes, yell. You, Kurt, will go fill any bottles you can find with warm water and put them around Blaine’s body. Do it a few at a time so his body starts warming up as soon as possible. When the bottles are around his body you, Noah, will have to make sure they aren’t leaving burns so lift them from time to time, turn them around to  make sure the side of the bottles haven’t gotten cold.”

“We have an electric heater somewhere,” Kurt reminded his dad.

“Good thinking. I will look for it as well,” Burt nodded. “We are almost there. Kurt, do you have the keys?”

“I do,” Kurt said and pocketed his phone. He then remembered that it was okay to warm up the neck and put his right hand on it. “His skin is so cold.”

“He’ll be okay,” Puck said, more to reassure himself than anyone else.

“We’ll make sure he is,” Burt agreed and Kurt noticed they were pulling into their street. “Almost there. Get ready, boys.”

There wasn’t much to do ‘getting ready’ but the boys nodded anyway and fell into silence, ready to act as soon as the car stopped. They arrived to the house moments later and Burt pressed the button of the automatic garage door to get it open. He drove inside and pressed the same button to close the door, shutting the view from prying eyes. The moment the car stopped, Kurt was out of it with the keys and unlocked the door to the house while Burt went straight to the boxes.

“I’ll pull Blaine out of the car,” Kurt told Puck once he got back, “and you can come around and help me out.”

Puck lifted Blaine’s legs and got out of the car in the matter of seconds. “Sorry, princess, but I’m stronger than you. I’ll carry him and you show the way.”

Kurt took in Puck’s muscular arms hugged tightly by a t-shirt and nodded. Together they pulled Blaine out of the car and Puck lifted him bridal style.

“This way,” Kurt said even though it was obvious where to go since there was only one door leading into the house.

They went straight to Kurt’s room and Puck laid Blaine on the right side of the bed since it was closer to the door.

“Unwrap him from the jackets and put him under the duvet,” Kurt said before her left. He made sure Puck had heard him and ran to the kitchen.

Once there the countertenor looked around for any bottles. He found two empty cola bottles in the trash bin and quickly filled them with water. He remembered reading about the things put on the hypothermic person being _warm_ instead of _hot_ and made sure that the water was of an acceptable temperature. Before looking for other bottles, the boy ran back to his room.

Burt was already there and he was lowering Blaine on the electric blanket when Kurt walked in. “Don’t put it on a maximum, dad,” he made sure to inform his dad. “Things must be warm, not hot.”

“Okay,” Burt didn’t argue and set the medium temperature.

Kurt placed the bottles on the sides of Blaine’s neck and opened something on his phone. “Look at this picture. It’s called a ‘hypothermia wrap’. Put the electric blanket on the duvet and then Blaine on it. When we have all bottles in place, we will wrap him like a burrito.”

Both men looked at the photo and nodded. Burt was first to speak. “Noah, can you do it? I need to go bring the heater.”

“Sure, papa Hummel,” Puck said and Kurt ran back to the kitchen, calm knowing that the others knew what they were doing.

Since there were no more empty bottles around, the teenager raided their fridge to find two plastic bottles of milk, one of them almost empty, and a bottle of juice. According to the hypothermia wrap scheme three more bottles were enough and he made sure to empty the contents and fill the bottles with warm water as fast as he could.

When the boy finally went back to his room, the heater was blowing hot weather and Blaine was still lying on the electric blanket but this time everything was ready for the wrap.

Kurt gave one bottle for each man to place them by Blaine’s armpits and kept one for himself to put it over the boy’s intimate part.

“Shouldn’t we take off his boxer-briefs?” Kurt asked. “They are wet and cold.”

“Kurt is right,” Burt frowned. “Who wants to do the honours?”

“Don’t look at me,” Puck shook his head. “I’m his friend but not _that_ close.”

“It doesn’t feel right for me to do it either,” Burt backed away. “I’m not an old pervert.”

Kurt glared at them for a second. “Fine, because I’m gay I’ll have to do it,” he rolled his eyes. “I don’t care about his body parts though, as long as we can keep him alive.”

Kurt went to his drawer to find a clean pair of underwear and Puck laughed at him. “And you are curious about his cock.”

The teenager grabbed a pair of loose boxers and put them on the bed, ready to take off Blaine’s wet piece of clothing. “You’ve been getting on my nerves the whole evening and I’m this close to actually punching you, Noah, so better shut up and help me out.”

Some lifting and several curse words later the curly-haired boy was changed into a dry pair of underwear. Kurt looked at the unconscious boy feeling that something was missing.

“What about his wrist wound?” Puck asked out of the blue. “Won’t it get infected?”

“I totally forgot,” Kurt cursed himself inwardly. “Dad, can you bring some bandages and the antiseptic spray?”

Burt nodded and Kurt took Blaine’s hand into his to take a closer look. “It doesn’t look bad,” he concluded.

The man came back with the asked items and handed them to Kurt, who cleaned up the wound and bandaged Blaine’s wrist. Soon the boy was secured in a warm burrito-like wrap.

“I guess it’s all we can do right now,” Burt said, the trio standing there, watching Blaine in his cocoon. “Kurt, stay with him. Noah, let’s go, I will take you home.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, you don’t think I’m going anywhere, right?” Puck crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not leaving Blaine alone in here.”

“He won’t be alone,” Kurt rolled his eyes. “I’ll send you a text if there is any change in his condition.”

“I want to stay,” Puck refused to leave.

“Noah, be reasonable,” Kurt argued. “People are trying to hurt Blaine. No, they have already done that. If they come looking and find him gone, they will go looking for him. I’m sure everyone in Lima knows that you two hang out and they will come asking questions. It will look suspicious if you were not home the night Blaine went missing.”

“He is right,” Burt nodded. “These people are dangerous. That Rachel girl said herself that they wanted to kill Blaine and they almost succeeded.”

Puck shook his dead. “It wasn’t them.”

Kurt frowned. “What do you mean? Who else could it be?”

The other boy put his hand in his right pocket and took something out. Kurt saw a silver locket. “I found it in the factory, a few feet away from Blaine. It belongs to Hudson. He always wears it.”

“Hudson?” Burt perked up. “Carole Hudson’s son maybe?”

Puck nodded and gave the locket to the man. “The very same. Nice woman, cold-hearted son.”

Burt nodded to himself, inspecting the locket as if in hopes that it would tell him that it was a lie. One look at the photo inside of the man he knew many years ago and a young Carole told him that Puck was telling the truth.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” the man warned Puck. “I know what you are thinking but you can’t go after him.”

“If you think I will let him get away with it–”

“Your revenge put Blaine into this,” Kurt said and gestured towards the sick boy. “You punched Finn for punching Blaine and now we are here. Revenge for revenge may have gotten Blaine killed if we had come just a little bit later.”

“Nobody can know that any of us have seen Blaine,” Burt said. “Spread the rumour that Blaine left the town. Tell people that you went to his sleeping place and his belongings were missing. It’s the best way to cover up the tracks. If people think that Blaine is gone, they won’t go looking for him.”

“Okay, fine,” Puck finally agreed. “But I’m coming back tomorrow morning and you can’t stop me.”

“I won’t even try,” Burt assured him. “You are welcome here anytime. I’m sure Blaine will appreciate a familiar face once he wakes up.”

“Good,” Puck nodded. “And I want updates every half an hour from you, princess. Anything, even something as small as a cough, understood?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted.”

“Fine,” Puck agreed and left the room with Burt.

Kurt stood in the middle of his room not sure what to do and in the end he sat down on a chair and stared at the boy in his bed. He kept thinking what if they had met in different circumstances.

What if Kurt was still in Paris and Blaine was an exchange student from the States?

_Kurt was sitting in the library, working on his history essay. He rubbed his tired eyes and when he opened them, his best friend was standing in front of him. He wasn’t alone though._

_“Hey, Kurt, how are you?” Gérard said in English, his thick French accent difficult to understand to an untrained ear._

_“Why are you speaking English?” Kurt asked with a frown._

_“Because, my friend, I’m here to introduce you to our new exchange student from America,” the boy said and put his hand on the other boy’s shoulder. “Kurt Hummel, meet Blaine Anderson. Blaine Anderson, this is Kurt Hummel.”_

_“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kurt,” the boy smiled brightly._

_“Nice to meet you too.”_

Blaine could have been a student at McKinley.

_Kurt was walking to his next class after lunch on his first day of school when someone touched his shoulder. He turned around to see light honey eyes staring at him._

_“Hi,” the boy said._

_“Hello,” Kurt said in response._

_The boy looked uncomfortably at him. “I’m Blaine,” he said after a moment._

_“My name is Kurt,” the countertenor introduced himself._

_“Can I be blunt, Kurt?” Blaine asked and Kurt nodded, curious what it was about. “Those girls you were having lunch with? I saw how uncomfortable you looked around them so I was thinking maybe tomorrow you would like to have lunch with me and my friends?”_

_Kurt let out a sigh of relief. “I’d love that. I don’t really see eye to eye with them.”_

He could have moved to New York and Blaine could have been a barista in a coffee shop.

_It was pouring outside and Kurt cursed himself for not taking his umbrella with him when he had left for the classes in the morning. He should have checked the weather forecast. He was wet almost to his underwear when he spotted a cosy looking coffee shop and decided to go in and warm a little. It would be smart to wait out the rain._

_The place was almost empty, only two tables occupied by lonely people who looked like they were at peace in the place. Kurt immediately felt like home. With a smile he went to the counter to order a drink._

_“Hey there, wonderful weather outside, huh?” a male barista with a name tag ‘Blaine’ appeared from behind the counter._

_“Wonderful?” Kurt raised one eyebrow. “Tell that to my freezing ass.”_

_“Um, I’m not really into that but it may be pretty hot,” the boy winked at him._

_Kurt felt the heat rising. “Oh my god, that’s not what I meant, it was just a figure of speech, nothing else!”_

_The boy laughed at him. “Oh look, I got your cheeks warming up,” he said with another wink. “So, what can I get you?”_

_“I’ll have a Grande non-fat mocha and your phone number.”_

Seven various fantasies later with the horrifying reality in front of him Kurt heard the garage door opening as his dad came back home. A couple of minutes later Burt came into his son’s to check on them.

“Any changes?” he asked.

“Nothing much,” Kurt said. “His cheeks seem to get more colour and a few minutes ago he started shivering so I guess it’s a good sign. He mumbles something from time to time as well.”

“Good, that’s good…” the man said and they fell into silence. “I’m sorry this happened, buddy. I knew you would have to face slavery back in the States but if I had known you would be exposed to _this_ , I would have never made us move.”

“It was a mutual decision, dad,” Kurt said. “I knew what I was getting myself into or I thought I did. And think of it as an opportunity to save someone’s life. If we hadn’t moved here Blaine might have not survived this winter. We were meant to come here.”

“I’m glad you think this way, son,” Burt gave him a small smile.

“Are you afraid of police?” Kurt asked timidly.

Burt sighed and grimaced at that. “I’m trying not to think about it right now. We will cross that bridge when we get there _if_ we get there, okay?”

Kurt nodded. “What about Carole’s son?”

“I don’t know… Make sure Noah doesn’t do anything reckless. I’ll try to talk to Carole, see what she thinks of slavery. Other than that I have no idea how to handle this. We have to be careful with people, who know about his. The more people know, the greater risk that someone will give our secret away.”

“He can’t go unpunished!” Kurt shouted.

“I know, I know,” Burt said tiredly. “We will think of something, okay? Right now let’s not think about it. We need to focus on getting Blaine better.”

“You are right… You are tired, go to bed, dad,” Kurt suggested.

“Okay but wake me up in a few, we will take turns watching him,” Burt said.

“Okay,” Kurt nodded and stood up. “Love you, dad.”

“Love you too, buddy,” Burt said and hugged his son tightly. “He’ll be okay.”

“I know,” Kurt whispered. He didn’t know that but he desperately wanted to believe his own words.


	17. Chapter 17

**December 9, 2012**

The night from the eighth to the ninth of December was the longest night in Kurt’s life. He and his dad decided on the watch schedule that allowed them to get some sleep, namely, changing every two hours. It would have been good if Kurt could fall asleep. When his first watch was over, he went to his dad’s bedroom and lied in bed trying to fall asleep with no success. In the end after his second watch was over, he let his dad continue to sleep.

Kurt spent a great part of the night researching hypothermia and possible outcomes. He read all about various complications during recovery, heart related ones being the most worrisome so the teen made sure to keep checking Blaine’s pulse every fifteen minutes to make sure it was beating steadily and rhythmically. Writing down his observations he was happy to find out that throughout the night the boy’s heart rate became not only easier to feel but also slightly faster.

The most difficult part of the night appeared to be watching Blaine. The boy’s shivering became even worse and he was trashing around with the wrap securely tied around his body with belts, sometimes reminding of a spider’s prey trying to escape its cocoon. The sight was heart-breaking but Kurt knew it was for the best.

“Master…” Blaine mumbled once again and Kurt looked up to see the boy’s eyes open for the first time that night.

He quickly went closer to the bed to make sure the boy could recognise him in a dim room, lit only by a table light.

“Blaine, it’s me, Kurt,” he spoke clearly. “You are safe.”

“Please… Master… out…” the boy whispered, his voice shaking together with his body.

Kurt looked at him with sympathy, pleading with his eyes for the boy to understand why this was being done to him. “No, sweetie, we need to keep you warm. It won’t last long, you will be out in no time, okay? Just hang in there.”

“Please… bathroom…” the boy whined, looking at Kurt but his vision unfocused.

“Oh,” it finally dawned to the teenager why Blaine was asking to be untied. “Okay, I’ll let you out.”

As quickly as he could Kurt untied the belts and unwrapped Blaine’s body. He moved the bottles but while in action he noticed that the boy’s skin was still cold. Not freezing as it was in the beginning, but still far from a normal temperature.

The boy helped Blaine to sit down on the edge of the bed and wrapped the duvet together so that the warmth wouldn’t go away. “I’ll help you to the bathroom, okay?”

The slave didn’t acknowledge his words but Kurt didn’t wait for his response anyway and hugging Blaine’s waist with one arm he helped him to stand up. He was pleased to see that the other boy could hold most of his weight and he only needed to help him marginally. They safely made their way into Kurt’s bathroom and Kurt switched on the light, which was met with a growl from Blaine when the bright light hit his sensitive eyes.

The countertenor guided the boy to the toilet. “I’m sorry, just narrow your eyes. Are you going to be okay on your own?” he asked and once Blaine nodded he released his waist but as he felt the other boy slump a little, he got his hold back. “Apparently, you aren’t… Um, you can do your business… I promise not to watch.”

Without another word the boy lowered his underwear with his shaky hands and Kurt looked away, feeling his cheeks heat up thinking of what was happening. He hoped that when Blaine fully woke up, he wouldn’t remember this episode since he would be too embarrassed to ever look Kurt in the eye.

Blaine soon finished with the toilet and Kurt helped him wash his hands with warm water. Everything went well until they went back to the room.

“Please… no…” Blaine swayed in Kurt’s arms as they approached the bed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Hot… tight… Master…” the boy looked close to tears.

“No, Blaine, you have to–” Kurt began to protest.

“Please,” two large puppy eyes stared at him and there was no way Kurt could deny him anything.

He nodded and weighed the situation. Blaine looked better so he assumed that the worst was probably over. The wrap helped a lot but maybe it wasn’t vital anymore. There were ways to keep him warm without making the boy feel trapped so he seated Blaine on the chair and went to rearrange the bedding. In the end he just swapped the electric blanket with the duvet, which he turned around so that the warm part would be touching the boy’s skin, and the bed was ready again.

“Come on,” Kurt helped Blaine to stand up and to the bed.

Blaine lay on the electric blanket and rolled himself on a side, lying in a foetal position.

“No, no, no, you need to lie on the back,” Kurt quickly explained, two bottles of warm water in his hands. The boy didn’t react in any way and Kurt gave up. “Fine.”

He placed the bottles on the ground and tucked Blaine, making sure there were no ways for the cold air to get under the duvet. Now the only problem was that Blaine’s back had been exposed to the heat from the electric blanket for several hours and lying on the side it would cool off. The teenager stood by the bed contemplating his next move.

Finally the need to help the slave boy won and Kurt took off his pants and t-shirt. Throwing caution to the win he climbed under the duvet and pressed his body to the boy’s back, gasping at the cool sensation. Being at such close proximity Kurt was overpowered by Blaine’s smell which was much stronger now than in the car since the boy was warming up. Normally the boy would have been grossed out by touching someone so dirty and smelly but now he didn’t care. He may need to bath in the antibacterial soap later on but keeping Blaine warm was much more important at the moment.

Kurt threw his arm around the other boy’s body to make sure he didn’t roll away and closed his eyes to rest for a few moments, suddenly feeling incredibly sleepy. A few seconds later he fell asleep for the first time that night, his grip on the boy tightening unconsciously.

***

Coming back to his senses was a slow process for Kurt in the morning. He was slipping between reality and unconsciousness, only merely aware that he was in bed, not in his dream world. Slowly he stretched his legs and rubbed his face into the pillow just to be surprised by how greasy it felt. He opened his heavy eyes and was met by the sight of slick black curls. When his hand slid up something solid, the ‘pillow’ cried out.

“Please, don’t hurt me,” a weak hoarse voice pleaded and Kurt jumped out of bed so quickly that he almost got tangled in the sheets.

This must have startled the boy because he crawled off the bed and got on his knees, his body tensed into a submissive position. Kurt rounded his bed, throwing on a bathrobe on his way, and kneeled in front of him, careful not to frighten him more.

“Blaine, can you look at me, please?” he asked gently.

“Please, no,” the slave boy whispered and hugged himself as if to protect his naked chest from Kurt.

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you,” the teen reassured him and with a soft touch on the boy’s cheek made him look up. “It’s me, Kurt, remember? Nothing happened in that bed and nothing is going to happen. You got very cold and last night my dad, Puck, and I brought you here. You are safe.”

Blaine sniffed and tears escaped his eyes. “Yes, Master.”

“No, no, I’m not your master,” Kurt hastily corrected him. “We are friends, right?”

The boy nodded absentmindedly. “Yes, Master.”

The countertenor sighed, seeing that Blaine was out of it and whatever he said wouldn’t have much weight. “Let’s get you to bed. We can’t have you on the cold floor,” he said and helped the shivering boy back into the bed.

Blaine lied on his back and let Kurt tuck him in, his eyes never leaving the other boy’s hands, making sure that they weren’t going to hurt him.

“I’ll go make you some tea,” Kurt said after he was sure that Blaine’s body was surrounded by warmth.

The boy exited his bedroom and closed the door right when his dad left his own bedroom. “It’s seven in the morning,” Burt mumbled. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“Good morning to you too, dad,” Kurt said and walked down the stairs. “I couldn’t sleep so I thought you could use some extra hours.”

“Well, thanks,” Burt said and followed his son into the kitchen. “How is Blaine?”

Kurt took the electric kettle and started to fill it with water. “He woke up a few hours ago to use the bathroom and he should be awake right now since he woke up a few minutes ago.”

“And his health?” Burt asked pouring some milk on his cereal.

“The fact that he woke up is probably an indicator that he’s getting better,” Kurt said. “His heart seems stronger and he isn’t as cold as he was. He is still out of it, calling me ‘master’ and stuff. And his body is pale except for all those huge bruises all over him. They look even worse now. I’m not looking forward to seeing them in the daylight.”

“I’ll go to a drugstore later when it opens. There is one that works on Sundays,” Burt said and put another spoon in his mouth.

Kurt took a mug with a teabag already inside and began to put sugar into it. “Okay, get something for the bruises and cold medicine maybe? I’m sure he will have a fever and a sore throat and maybe bronchitis…”

Burt watched his son put the fourth teaspoon of sugar in a medium size mug with a curious expression. “Are you sure Blaine likes his tea that sweet?”

“I don’t care what he likes; this is for his condition,” Kurt said and poured the hot water into the mug. “During hypothermia stomach shuts down and can’t digest solid food but he needs sugar for energy so all the articles suggest warm water or tea with loads of sugar.”

“Well, you know better than me,” Burt shrugged. “You know, I was thinking… Would you be okay with skipping a couple of days of school? Only until Blaine gets better.”

Kurt glared at his dad. “Did you really think I would go to school when my friend just almost died?”

“Just checking,” Burt shrugged. “I think I’ll call Carole at a decent hour, tell her you are sick, and ask for advice. That way we will know what to do and someone will know your excuse for not going to school. If someone asks I’ll tell them I didn’t take you to the doctor because Carole helped me out.”

“Yeah, that’s perfect but what if she comes over or something? She seemed like a sweet lady who could do that.”

“Don’t worry, leave it to me,” the man said and suddenly looked up. “Did you hear something?”

“What exactly?” Kurt frowned.

“Uh… don’t mind me, I must be getting old,” Burt laughed. “Why aren’t you taking the tea to Blaine? Won’t it get cold?”

“He shouldn’t drink anything hot so I’m waiting for the tea to be of an acceptable temperature,” Kurt explained and watched his dad washing up the bowl. “We could go upstairs and I could introduce you if you want. He needs to know who you are.”

“Sounds good,” the man agreed and they went upstairs.

“Do you feel the cold?” Kurt asked as they got closer to his bedroom.

“I do,” Burt uttered confused.

With the mug in his left hand Kurt opened the door and felt a cold breeze hit his face. Right in front of him was an open window and Blaine, wearing his sweatpants and a sweater, had his right leg over the window sill, ready to climb out of the window.

The mug shattered as Kurt dropped it on the floor and ran to the window. Blaine’s eyes widened as the countertenor’s arms circled his waist and pulled him so hard that they both fell on the ground.

“No! Please, let me go! Don’t want to, please!” the slave boy tried to wiggle out of Kurt’s grip but was too weak to actually do so.

“Blaine, calm down!” the boy tried to hold him still.

Meanwhile Burt made his way to the window and shut it close to stop the cold from seeping into the room. “Kurt, you are scaring him even more.”

“No, please!” Blaine fully cried, choking on his tears.

“Dad, call Noah!”


	18. Chapter 18

**December 9, 2012**

It took twenty minutes for Puck to show up. In the meantime Kurt managed to calm Blaine down marginally so even though he was still crying, at least he wasn’t trying to escape anymore. The boy curled up in the corner of the room and no amount of persuasion was enough to make him lie in the bed. It was weird since the slave was still calling Kurt ‘Master’ but didn’t follow his pleas to go back to bed. In the end, the countertenor threw the duvet over Blaine’s body and sat down in front of him, making sure not to crowd his personal space.

After Blaine started talking, he also began coughing violently since his throat was put to work. Kurt tried to coax him into drinking some warm herbal tea that Burt had made after the incident, but his words were met with apologies, followed by pleading and then more tears. Kurt was at a loss and just sat there watching the pale bruised boy shiver under the duvet while waiting for Puck to show up. Kurt released a sigh of relief when he heard the doorbell ring and he figured the mohawked guy finally came over. His guess was proved to be right when Burt came into the room with the boy following him.

“Need anything?” Burt asked and Kurt shook his head while Puck took into the sight in front of him. “I’ll go call Carole.”

The man left and Puck sat down next to Kurt. “Hey, Blainers. How are you?”

If it wasn’t for Blaine’s eyes that widened with fear, Kurt would have thought that he hadn’t heard the question. Yet another coughing fit took over and Puck looked at Kurt with concern.

“He has it bad, doesn’t he?”

Kurt nodded. “If he continues coughing like this soon we will see his lungs coming out of his mouth. Though it’s not like I didn’t see that coming. You can’t expect him to wake up completely healthy after what he has been through.”

“Right…” Puck uttered disappointed. “Blainey, do you remember me? The guy ‘with the weirdest hair you have ever seen’? Puckerman.”

Blaine shook his head, his eyes filled with sorrow. “Don’t, please, don’t…”

“What is he asking for?” Puck frowned.

“I have no idea. He already asked to let him go, to not hurt him, and to not punish him…” Kurt said and rubbed his face. “Urgh, I hate this.”

“Calm down, princess,” Puck said and reached for Blaine’s shoulder to give him a friendly reassurance.

At least that was what he was going for but it startled the boy so much that he screamed and tried to get further into the corner.

“Whoa!” Puck raised his both hands in defence. “Can he not recognise me?”

“I don’t know. He definitely doesn’t recognise me. I thought it was because he hadn’t known me for long but now… I think he might have a fever so he doesn’t really understand his surroundings right now.”

“Okay… So what do we do now?” the boy asked.

“I don’t know,” Kurt felt utterly helpless. “I need him to drink this tea and then go back to bed. He really needs a lot of rest now if we want him to get better.”

Puck was silent for a moment. “Order him,” he finally said.

Kurt looked at him as if he was crazy. “What do you mean ‘order him’?”

“Blainers thinks you are his master so give him a direct order to drink tea and go to bed,” Puck just shrugged.

“Wait, you are seriously suggesting that I treat Blaine as a slave?” Kurt’s eyes widened. “You must be out of your mind. Aren’t you supposed to be his friend?”

“I am his friend and that’s why I think you should do it. He needs to get better and if this is the way to do it, then so be it.”

“Fine,” Kurt said even though he still disapproved the plan. “Blaine, I order you to slowly drink this tea.”

For a few moments nothing happened and Kurt was about to point it out to Puck but then Blaine lowered the duvet and two shaky hands made their way to the mug that was extended to him. Still snivelling the boy brought the drink to his mouth and took a tentative sip.

“I can’t believe I just did it,” Kurt shook his head, feeling sick of his action.

“At least it worked,” Puck said watching Blaine’s every move. “When he finishes order him to go to bed.”

“I don’t like this.”

“You don’t have to like it.”

They sat in silence, the only noise being Blaine’s small sips and coughing that seemed to be getting worse with every minute. When the boy was halfway through the drink, he started to sway a little and Kurt noticed that the boy would soon doze off. He took the mug out of Blaine’s hands right in time as the boy slid down the wall to the side, his eyes closed.

“Did he just fall asleep?” Puck laughed.

“I hope so. If not, then he fainted,” Kurt said and stood up. “Help me put him in bed.”

Together the two boys laid Blaine on the electric blanket and covered him with the duvet. Kurt touched his forehead to find it burning.

“He has a fever just as I thought,” he announced to Puck, who was sitting by his desk. “This must be the reason he’s acting so weird.”

“Do you have anything to check his body temperature with?”

“Yeah, in the bathroom,” Kurt said and went to get a thermometer. He also grabbed a small towel. “Do you think we should put cold compresses on his head? It always helps with fevers.”

Puck looked at Kurt as the boy placed the towel on the bedside table and put a thermometer in his mouth. “You just spent a whole night trying to warm him up and now you want to cool him off? I don’t know about that…”

“We have to do something. My dad is going to bring some medicine later but for that we will need Blaine to be awake and if the fever gets worse he may not…”

“Fine, do what you think is best.”

Kurt nodded and went to wet the towel in a cold water. “I will only put it on his forehead. I have no idea if it’s going to help though.”

“You won’t know unless you try.”

“Boys?” they heard Burt’s voice from downstairs. “I’m going to a drugstore.”

“Okay!” Kurt acknowledged his dad’s words and put a compress on Blaine’s head. “Let’s hope for the best.”

“I don’t think he can get any worse,” Puck snorted.

“Don’t jinx it,” Kurt snapped at him, finding absolutely no humour in the situation.

“Come tomorrow to my place around four,” the other boy said out of nowhere.

“What for?” Kurt frowned confused. “I don’t want to leave Blaine alone. I’m not going to school so I can be with him and my dad won’t be home until after work. I don’t want him to attempt to escape again if he is left alone.”

“You could lock him up?” Puck suggested.

“He tried to jump out of the window,” Kurt reminded the other boy.

“True… You see, I’m meeting a few friends and I need you to be there.”

“Why?”

“I like you and I want to hang out with you,” the boy said with a laugh, obviously not believing his words either.

“Really?” Kurt asked sceptically. “Since when are we such great friends?”

“Fine, I invited some friends who may help us to get back at Hudson and you should be there. I won’t tell them about Blaine, I will just tell them that Hudson did something ‘very, very bad’,” Puck explained.

“Noah, you can’t go after Finn. If he finds out we saw what happened to Blaine and took him in, my dad will go to prison. I can’t risk it. I _do_ want him to get what he deserves but not at such price.”

Puck rolled his eyes. “I’m not dumb. I may be stupid but when it comes to revenge I know how to do stuff. That’s why I formed an awesome squad.  Since you are close to the Hudsons, I need you there as well.”

“You suddenly trust me enough to let me into your elaborate plan?”

“You literally saved Blaine’s life,” Puck shrugged. “Right now you are holding a compress to his head and a thermometer in his mouth playing Kurt Nightingale and ignoring the awful smell in this room. So I may not trust you all that much but let’s just say you went from my bad books into my mediocre books.”

“What does it take to get into your good books?” Kurt genuinely smiled for the first time in what seems a very long time.

“Don’t push it,” Puck grimaced. “So, are you in?”

Kurt looked down at Blaine, who was mumbling something around the thermometer. “I’m in but only for as long as nobody knows it’s about Blaine. Even Finn can’t find out why something is done to him. Also, my dad has to know.”

Puck doubted it was a good idea. “Is that necessary? He probably won’t like it.”

“I’m not doing it without him knowing about the plan, whatever it is,” Kurt persisted. “If it goes wrong he may go to prison so he has a right to know. Not to mention he already told me we would find a way to get back at him so he may help us.”

“Wait a sec, papa Hummel wants to get back at Hudson?” Puck’s eyes widened.

“Well, I wouldn’t say he would be an active participant but he won’t stop us.”

“An adult, who wants to punish a teenager…”

“No. An adult, who saw a beaten up boy left to die and wants justice,” Kurt corrected him. “Blaine is a slave so of course police would do nothing. If _we_ do nothing, nobody will. So, as long as our plan doesn’t involve any bodily harm, my dad should be fine with it.”

“No bodily harm, understood,” Puck nodded. “I wasn’t planning to do that anyway because look how it ended the last time.”

Kurt looked at Blaine at those words. “You know, it’s not your fault,” he said. “It was me who got him into this.”

“I may have blamed you at first but it would have happened anyway,” Puck said, spinning a little in his chair. “It was a matter of time only.”

“Maybe but it doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“I know,” the other boy sighed. “I couldn’t fall asleep last night thinking what if I hadn’t punched Hudson that day at school.”

“Blaming ourselves or each other won’t help,” the boy decided. “We need to focus on Finn right now because he is the main reason Blaine is in my bed with,” he quickly checked the thermometer that had just beeped, “almost one hundred nine degree…”

“Holy shit...” Puck stared at Kurt in shock. “He needs proper medical care.”

“Yeah but all he is going to get is ‘Kurt Nightingale’,” the boy frowned and turned the towel over. “I’m doing all I can.”

“I know, I know, but it doesn’t make the situation any less frustrating,” the boy said. “Is there anything I can do to help? I’m feeling useless…”

Kurt thought for a moment. “I don’t need any help here right now.”

“I could go google something maybe?” Puck offered hopefully.

“You know, what you could do?..” Kurt said slowly, an idea forming in his head. “I’m sure Blaine had some belongings in the factory. You should go and get them if Finn didn’t take them. Maybe Blaine will feel more at ease when he sees things that belong to him?”

“Yeah, makes sense,” Puck nodded and stood up. “I’ll come back as soon as I can. Call me if there are any changes.”

“Sure,” Kurt said and went to the bathroom to wet the towel again when he stopped himself.

“When we found him, Blaine had a teddy bear in his arms but the head was missing. Could you look for it as well? It’s dark brown.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Puck nodded. “I’ll see if I can find it. Later.”

“Bye,” Kurt said and went into the bathroom, hoping that his dad would come back soon with medicine.


	19. Chapter 19

**December 9, 2012**

By the time Burt came back from the drugstore Blaine began trashing in Kurt’s bed with the worried teenager changing cold compresses every few minutes and trying to calm him down unsuccessfully. Hearing his father coming back was a great relief but instead of running to get the medicine Kurt stayed by the slave’s side since he knew that the man would go straight upstairs.

He was right and in no time Burt was coming into his son’s bedroom. “How is he?” he asked without preamble.

“He has a fever and it’s not going down,” the boy said, clearly close to hysteria. “Tell me you have something good.”

“You can’t get much without a doctor’s prescription… I couldn’t get antibiotics obviously but I got Aspirin, Advil, Tylenol,” Burt listed while taking boxes out of the small bag he had in his hand. “And I bought some ointment for the bruises. Oh, and also I got this Theraflu drink. The lady behind the counter said it was good for cold and flu.”

“Better than nothing,” Kurt concluded after taking a look at the boxes of various medicines. “The difficult part is going to be getting Blaine to take them. It will be difficult to wake him up.”

“We won’t know unless we try,” Burt shared a piece of wisdom. “This boy needs a bath and pretty soon.”

“He can’t take a bath until he gets better.”

“He has all that bacteria on him and it’s probably eating him alive. And the room smells like old man’s rotting underwear,” Burt puckered his nose.

“How do you know what old man’s rotting underwear smell like?” Kurt teased his dad painfully aware how right the man was.

“Haha, very funny. I’m serious, we need to get him cleaned. What about a sponge bath? Just to clean him up a little,” Burt shrugged and sat down on the bed. “Damn, from so close he looks really bad.”

“I know… Okay, I’ll try to wake him up. Bring some water for the pills, okay?” Kurt asked his dad and began opening the boxes of medicine.

Burt went downstairs to get a glass of warm water and when he came back, Kurt was already shaking Blaine, trying to get him wake up. “Blaine? Blaine, wake up. I need you to wake up, okay?”

At the firm words the boy stirred in his sleep and Kurt knew he was getting to him. “Keep talking,” Burt encouraged him.

“Blaine, please, wake up,” Kurt instead but instead of shaking the boy’s shoulder, he began to caress his cheek. “Open your eyes.”

The boy’s eyes fluttered and Kurt could see bits of honey-coloured eyes. “Nghn,” Blaine made an indistinct sound and opened his eyes a little bit wider.

“Here you go,” Kurt praised him. “Do you know who I am? Can you recognise me?”

Blaine stared at the source of the noise and gave him a dopey smile. “An…gel…” he managed before a coughing fit began and the boy doubled over.

Kurt together with his dad helped Blaine to sit up and Kurt offered the boy the pills. “Here, take them, okay?”

The slave boy reached for the pills but didn’t quite make it to the target because he only bumped into Kurt’s hand and the pills fell on the duvet.

“Oopsy,” Blaine smiled widely and tried to pick up the pills.

“Let me help you,” Kurt offered and collected the pills. “Open your mouth.”

Blaine did as asked and Kurt put the pills one by one in the boy’s mouth with Burt helping him to drink water.

“Did you swallow them alright, kid?” Burt asked and Blaine gave him a few slow nods. “Maybe he should go back to sleep?”

Kurt nodded, watching the other boy dozing off while sitting with their support. “Yeah,” he said and they lowered Blaine onto his back. “Get some rest.”

“Um hum,” the slave boy acknowledged his words and in a matter of seconds he was out cold again.

The teen took his time to properly tuck him in. “I’ll make him that flu drink when he is right in his head,” he said.

“Which will be soon,” Burt said with confidence. “He somehow survived last winter, right? I bet this is nothing to him.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“Fine, maybe not ‘nothing’ but he is strong. He can’t not be after what he’s been through.”

Kurt frowned at his dad. “You don’t know what he’s been through.”

“Not difficult to guess though,” the man said. “Now, I will bring you a bucket of warm water and a sponge.”

“Me? I’m supposed to give him a bath?” Kurt asked, his eyes big. “No, it was your idea!”

“I’m so not doing that,” Burt shook his head. “I’m not a paedophile.”

“So you want your gay son to touch a sleeping boy’s naked body with a sponge? It somehow sounds like bad porn to me.”

“What if he wakes up? Imagine yourself in his place. You wake up in an unfamiliar place, lying in bed only in your underwear being touched by a thirty-something old man.”

“You are forty six,” Kurt rolled his eyes.

“Tomayto, tomahto. The thing is that he will freak out if he wakes up to me rubbing him. We don’t want another episode of Prison Break.”

“His plan of escape wasn’t _that_ elaborate,” Kurt snorted. “Fine, I will do it. But if he wakes up he will freak out anyway, either it’s me or you.”

Burt stood up with a smirk. “Yeah, because _angels_ are very scary.”

“Shut up,” the boy frowned but still couldn’t help but smile.

“I’ll come back in a few,” Burt said and left the room.

While his dad was away to bring a bucket Kurt went to his bathroom to look for a new sponge. Luckily he had bought a set of three sponges when they arrived to Lima so he had a nice green sponge for Blaine. He came back into his bedroom to find the boy sleeping peacefully for once.

“I brought kitchen gloves for you too,” Burt said once he came back. “You know, because he is quite dirty…”

“I still don’t think it’s a good idea. I don’t want him to be exposed to the cold air again.”

Burt glared at him. “Have you been out of your room lately? It’s like coming into a sauna. I wonder how you two haven’t melted yet.”

“I guess it is warm in here…”

“So, have fun with your bath and I’ll get going now,” Burt said and quickly retreated out of the room leaving no time for Kurt to argue.

The boy sighed and wet the sponge in the warm water. He squeezed it to get the excess water out and brought it to Blaine’s face. He carefully cleaned the dirt off his face, making a mental note to offer the slave a shave once he got better.

When Kurt was satisfied with the boy’s face, he lowered the duvet and started cleaning the slave’s bruised chest and arms. Everything went fine until he began working on the boy’s belly, which gave Blaine a certain reaction. The teenager closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to compose himself.

_At least his blood flow is getting better…_

He didn’t spend too much time working on the belly and covered Blaine’s upper body with the duvet after drying him with a towel. He changed the dirty water with clean one before starting with the boy’s legs, trying hard not to think of the boner that the sleeping boy was sporting.

When the front side of the slave’s legs was as clean as it could be Kurt dried them and put the towel aside. Not allowing his eyes to go to any dangerous zones the teenager took the duvet off and gently turned Blaine onto his front, yet again surprised just how light the boy was. He had to make sure Blaine ate something next time he woke up. Otherwise no medicine would help him get better.

Since it seemed that Blaine wasn’t comfortable lying on the front, Kurt quickly cleaned the back side of his body and rolled him back into his former position. The water was dirty again even though he changed it three times overall. He didn’t want to think of the last time Blaine had a proper shower or a bath. It must have been ages ago.

When the slave boy was safely tucked in bed and Kurt was washing the bucket, Burt came back into the room with something in his hands. “Hey, Kurt, I found your old teddy bear… well, a part of it in the car. Want to explain what happened?”

The boy came out of his bathroom and sat down on the bed next to Blaine. “I gave it to him. I thought he would appreciate having something to hold at night you know? Whoever did this to Blaine, ripped off Mr. Honey’s head. I only found the body part since Blaine was holding it when we found him. Noah said he would look for the head.  He is actually at the factory right now looking for Blaine’s belongings.”

Burt nodded with understanding. “So you don’t want me to throw it away?” he asked and Kurt shook his head. “Okay, I will put it on the washing machine so you can wash it whenever you want to.”

“Thanks.”

“Now, tell me what Noah is planning to do about Carole’s son,” Burt demanded, sitting down on Kurt’s chair.

“Oh, I wanted to talk to you about that as well,” the boy said, ignoring the direct question. “Could you come back earlier from work tomorrow to stay with Blaine?”

“Why?” Burt asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“Noah invited a few friends over to brainstorm on the revenge plan.”

“No.”

“What?”

“You are not doing anything to that boy,” Burt deadpanned. “I won’t let a bunch of teenagers go after him driven by anger. So no, you can’t go to Noah’s and I won’t come back from work early. That’s final.”

Kurt was taken aback. “You said we would think of a way to get back at Finn!”

“I didn’t say that, you just heard what you wanted to hear,” Burt said patiently. “What is going to happen is that I’m going to talk to Carole and see what she thinks of slavery. If she is against it I will tell her that her son beat up a slave and let her punish her son in any way she sees fit.”

“She can’t know that we have Blaine! We don’t know if she’s trustworthy.”

“I know. That’s why I will tell her about the first time. It was Finn, who beat up Blaine for that jacket, right?” Burt asked, not sure if he remembered correctly.

Kurt nodded. “Rachel told him to do that but it doesn’t change the fact that Finn did it.”

“Okay then. Let the adults deal with this, otherwise you may get in a lot of trouble,” Burt said and stood up. “I’ll go make some chicken soup. We need to feed this living skeleton. By the way, have you changed the bandage on his wrist today?”

“Oh, I forgot,” Kurt gasped. “I’ll do it now.”

Burt nodded and left. Once his dad was out of the room the boy grabbed his phone and sent a quick message to Noah.

 _Kurt_ : Change of plans. Bring your friends to my place tomorrow. My dad can’t know anything.

 _Noah_ : ok

 _Noah_ : found the head and blaines stuff

 _Noah_ : coming back

Kurt deleted the messages just in case and looked over at Blaine, who had a little frown on his face. His dad may be right and they may get into trouble but he didn’t care. All he knew was that he couldn’t let Finn get away with simply getting grounded for a week or two for what he had done. Not to mention that he would go unpunished if Carole was pro-slavery. Finn deserved so much more and they were the only ones who could do anything about it.


	20. Chapter 20

**December 9, 2012**

Not long after Kurt and Burt’s conversation the door bell rang and the teenager, who was doing homework in his room, heard his dad talking to Puck. Moments later the other boy came into the room without knocking.

“How is our Blainers?” he asked, dropping a dirty bag on the floor.

Kurt turned around to face him. “Better after he took some pills. He’s started to sweat not long ago so it’s a good sign,” the boy explained.

Puck nodded and sat down on the bed. “I found his bag hidden upstairs. It took me a while so no surprise Hudson didn’t steal or destroy anything. Blainey is not stupid.”

“And the teddy bear?” Kurt asked as he couldn’t see the missing part of the toy.

“Found it in the room where we found Blaine and put it in the bag,” Puck gestured towards the bag with his head. “I was trying to imagine what could have happened and I have no clue. His torn clothes were in one of the smallest rooms where he was probably sleeping or just sitting when Hudson came after him but it doesn’t explain how the toy ended up with Blaine in that big room.”

“Maybe Finn wanted to make fun of him,” Kurt spat out in disgust. He could imagine the tall teen teasing the slave boy and threatening to rip off his head just like the toy’s.

“That’s sick… We have to come up with a good plan,” the other boy said with a frown. “What happened with papa Hummel?”

Kurt sighed heavily. “He thinks it’s enough to rat out Finn to his mom and let her deal with it,” he said rolling his eyes. “As if that’s enough for almost killing someone.”

“We will just have to be more careful. Are you still okay with several people coming over tomorrow around four?”

“Yes but they will have to leave before my dad comes back home from work, otherwise he is going to be suspicious since I don’t have that many friends,” Kurt grimaced. “Actually, I have none since the Rachel and Mercedes incident.”

“Oh, please, they weren’t your friends to start with,” Puck snorted.

“Fine, you are right. I can’t believe I put up with them for that long,” the boy said with a head shake.

“At least they didn’t manage to convert you.”

“Never.”

“Good to know,” Puck said and looked at his friend. “I think he is waking up.”

Kurt looked over at Blaine to find that Puck was right. The slave was moving under the duvet and soon one hand made its way to his face and rubbed his eyes violently. He tried to clear his throat but instead he started coughing.

“Hey, Blainers,” Puck announced about his presence to the boy, his voice gentle as he tried not to startle him like earlier. “How are you feeling?”

“H- hot,” he managed and opened his eyes. “You look funny…”

Puck smiled at the boy, obviously happy to see him not freaking out. “Why is that so?”

“You have,” cough, “the weirdest hair,” another cough, “I’ve ever seen.”

Kurt snorted and approached the bed. He took the thermometer from the nightstand and gave it to Puck. “Check his temperature and I’ll go make him some flu drink.”

“Will do,” the boy said and took the thermometer. “Open your cocksucking mouth for me, Blainers.”

“You said ‘cock’,” the slave boy giggled but complied without arguing.

Kurt saw Puck putting the thermometer in Blaine’s mouth and left the room, sure that the ill boy was in good hands. Only when he got to the kitchen did he remembered that the Theraflu powder was still upstairs. He made his way back but before he entered the room he overheard Blaine talking to Puck.

“–angel sitting by my side,” the slave was talking dreamily. “He left now but maybe he will come back? Everyone leaves me, I don’t want him to leave me too… Do you think he will come back?”

At that Kurt entered his bedroom and saw Blaine’s eyes widen comically.

“He is back! My angel is back!”

Puck looked at Kurt and then back at Blaine. “He is… Um, you know, he is your guardian angel and he is here to make you feel better,” the boy explained as if he was talking to a five-year-old. “So you have to help him help you.”

“How do I do that?” Blaine frowned.

Before Puck could answer Kurt cut in. “By both of you doing what I say,” he said and grabbed the medicine. “Why aren’t you taking Blaine’s temperature?”

“He started talking and I thought he might chew the thermometer,” Puck defended himself.

“I have to do everything by myself…” Kurt said and took the thermometer from the bed where it was lying. “Blaine, could you open your mouth and keep this in until it beeps?”

Blaine looked at him with adoration in his eyes and nodded.

“Thank you,” Kurt said to him softly and turned to Puck. “Make sure you do it right this time.”

“Bossy,” the other boy mumbled as Kurt left the room.

Kurt went to the kitchen, finally ready to make the hot drink and his dad followed him shortly.

“You should get something to eat,” he said when he saw what his son was doing. “This whole situation is quite a good diet, right?”

Kurt made an affirmative noise in the back of his throat. “I’m not hungry.”

Burt sat down on a chair as Kurt poured the hot water in a mug. “Take a seat, son,” the man said and Kurt sat in front of him. “All jokes aside, how are you dealing with this?”

“I’m… fine? I think I still haven’t processed what is happening so I’m okay. You know me, while there is something I can do I’ll be fine. Once Blaine is better it will all dawn on me and then I will have to face the consequences.”

Burt nodded, trying hard to find the right words. “We need to decide what we are going to do. I know you feel sorry for that boy and I do too but you need to know it’s going to be difficult and quite dangerous. I need to know that you know what we are getting ourselves into. I’m afraid that you might be romanticizing this situation like it was from one of your novels so you have to understand that this is not a love story. It’s real life with its obstacles. Are you sure you are ready for this?”

“Of course I am,” Kurt hurried to reassure his dad. “What else would we do?”

“We could wait until he is better and then take him somewhere safe,” Burt suggested.

“No! We can’t leave him on his own. I want him to stay,” Kurt pleaded his dad. “We have a guest room that he could take. He is polite and friendly, I’m sure he won’t cause any problems.”

“I need you to be one hundred percent sure. When he is right in his mind, I will offer him to stay and after that it will only be up to him if he wants to leave because the offer is permanent. If you get angry at him or something, you won’t be able to come to me and ask me to throw him out.”

“Who do you think you are talking to?” Kurt asked, a bit hurt by his dad’s idea of him being so bratty. “I would never throw him out. I know it will cost to support and feed another person but I’m totally in if you are sure that you want Blaine to stay with us.”

“Now I am,” the man said. “The tea will get cold.”

Kurt nodded and stood up with the mug in his hands. “Um, dad? How are _you_ doing?”

“Don’t worry about me,” the man said with a smile.

“Just know that if you want to talk about it, you can always come to me.”

Burt snorted. “Stop pretending to be grandma Hummel.”

“I’ll stop when you stop being a child,” Kurt joked. “But seriously, just because you are an adult doesn’t mean that you don’t have feelings. You know how bad it is to bottle things up so, um, yeah, this is a two way friendship, okay?”

“Go play a nurse, I’ll make some chicken soup,” the man said still smiling and Kurt knew that his message was received. “Do you think Blaine will be up for it?”

Kurt shrugged. “I don’t know but honestly even if he doesn’t want to eat, I will make him have some of it because it’s probably been days since the last time he had any food. If we want him to get better he needs to eat.”

“Okay, I will make some straight away. Ask Noah if he wants some soup as well.”

Kurt nodded and left the room. On his way he checked the temperature of the mug and it seemed that Blaine would be able to drink it straight away. Given how quickly the boy got tired and fell asleep the previous times it was important to get him to drink it before he fell asleep again.

When Kurt got closer to his bedroom he heard voices from inside the room and he felt relieved to find that Blaine didn’t fall asleep after all. He opened the door and saw the slave boy sitting in the bed with the duvet tucked around him while Puck showed him some magic tricks with cards.

“Wow…” Blaine looked at a card which Puck had just pulled from under his ear. “It’s amazing!”

“Uhum, he is magical,” Kurt snorted and extended the mug to Blaine. “I’d like you to drink this. It’s very delicious and it will make you feel better.”

“Okay,” the slave nodded enthusiastically and freed his hands from the duvet. He took the mug from Kurt and took a tentative sip.

His friends watched him grimace as the drink hit his taste buds. “Is it bad?” Kurt asked as he had never tried the drink before.

Blaine shook his head. “Nothing is bad when it comes from you.”

Puck snorted and covered it with a fake cough as Kurt gave him a stern look. “Angels make everything better, right, Blainers?”

“They do,” Blaine agreed and blew some cold air into the mug.

“Are you two hungry? My dad is making some chicken soup.”

“Chickens make funny noises,” Blaine giggled to himself. “My butt is hot.”

As soon as the words left the boy’s mouth Puck began to laugh wholeheartedly while Kurt tried his best not to make fun of the boy.

“It is,” Blaine whined with big eyes and confusion in his face.

“I’ll go check if papa Hummel needs any help,” Puck said and left the room free to laugh as hard as he wanted without upsetting his friend.

“Do you want the electric blanket off?” Kurt offered as he didn’t want Blaine to feel any discomfort. “I think you should be fine without it from now on.”

“Really? Because my butt doesn’t feel right,” the curly-head boy gave him a sad look.

Kurt nodded with an encouraging smile. “Of course. If anything else feels wrong just let me know, okay?”

Blaine nodded and took a big sip of the drink. “There is one more thing… It feels really bad to sleep alone, I’m scared.”

“What are you scared of?” Kurt asked as he turned off the blanket.

The boy shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m afraid that someone may hurt me while I sleep. I feel unsafe,” he finished and his cheeks flushed pink. “But you are my guardian angel, right? You can help me?”

Kurt wasn’t sure what kind of help it would be so before he agreed to anything he had to ask first. “How do you think I could help you?” he asked and saw Blaine lower his eyes. The boy mumbled something that Kurt couldn’t understand. “What was that?”

“Could you, maybe… hold me while I sleep?” he asked shyly.

“I–” Kurt began not sure what to say. He had already held Blaine while he slept and now with clothes on it wouldn’t be as bad so he decided to put the boy at ease. “Of course, sure, I will. Just tell me when you start feeling sleepy.”

“I am sleepy now,” the slave boy said and quickly finished what was left in the mug. “Can we sleep?”

Kurt smiled fondly at how adorable the boy looked and took the mug from his hands. “Of course,” he said and placed the mug on the nightstand. “Scoot over.”

Blaine did as asked and made room in the bed for Kurt. He pulled the blanket up to help the other boy lie down next to him and made sure that he was well covered. Only then Blaine slid down the bed so he was lying on his side and tried to see what position would be the best for his angel to hold him.

“You could put your head on my chest?” Kurt offered and saw the boy’s eyes light up. “I see you like the idea. Okay, come here.”

Blaine gently lowered his head on Kurt’s chest, threw his arm around his waist, and released a content sigh. “Comfy,” he uttered.

“Sleep well,” the boy whispered. “You are safe with me, nobody is going to hurt you. I won’t let them.”

“Will you be here when I wake up?” the slave asked and yawned.

“I will, I promise.”

“Okay…” Blaine said and closed his eyes.

Not long after that his breathing even out and Kurt began to feel way too hot under the blanket with Blaine’s warm body pressed to him. Despite his own discomfort he was glad that by something this simple he could help the boy feel safe.

Moments later Kurt heard footsteps from the corridor and Puck entered the room. He stood in the doorway a bit shocked at the sight until his signature smirk appeared on his face.

“Shut up,” Kurt whispered angrily.

“I didn’t say a word,” Puck said in his defence and sat down on the chair. “Your dad didn’t need any help so I came to keep you company.”

“How nice of you,” the boy rolled his eyes. “By the way, did you manage to take his temperature?”

“Oh, yeah, it was one hundred one. Is that good?”

Kurt nodded. “Not perfect but much better than what it was earlier. He is slowly getting better,” the boy said and unconsciously ran his fingers through Blaine’s greasy hair.

“How about we entertain ourselves?” Puck asked out of nowhere and lifted the bag he had brought.

“Do you think it’s okay?” Kurt asked unsure. “It’s private, don’t you think?”

“What if there is something edible in there? It would start rotting and–”

“Fine, let’s do it,” the boy whispered in agreement as he didn’t fancy a strong rotting smell in his room.

Puck opened the bag and took out the first item. “A plastic box,” he said and Kurt recognised the box where he had put the cookies from his first home economics class in McKinley, “a t-shirt, a pair of dirty underwear, one dirty sock, um, what’s here?”

Kurt leaned a little bit to get a better look and Puck, who had noticed the move, brought the item closer. “A locket? Try to open it.”

Puck struggled a little but soon the locket was open and something fell out of it. “It’s some old guitar pick,” he said after inspection.

“Does the locket have any photos?” Kurt asked and Puck looked inside.

“It does,” he said and gave the piece of jewellery to Kurt, whose one hand was free.

He looked inside the locket to find the photos of two kids. One of them couldn’t have been older than twelve years old while the other one must have been two years old. They both had dark hair and identical smiles. If it wasn’t for the different eye colour Kurt would have thought that it was the same boy in different years. Obviously, they were brothers.

“Do you think it’s Blaine’s brothers?” Kurt asked, realising that he was holding something priceless for the boy.

“Either that or he’s one of them,” Puck said and took a better look. “The little one has Blaine’s eyes.”

“How do you think he managed to save it during slavery?” Kurt asked astounded. He didn’t know that the slaves were allowed to own something.

“He must have hidden it well?” Puck guessed. “But in the training centres they are very thorough with their searches. If he had had it when he was sent to the training centre, this locket would have been taken away from him.”

Kurt didn’t say anything to that. There was no use contemplating various ways of how Blaine could have saved this locket and maybe in the future, if he was lucky enough, the boy would tell them by himself.

Puck’s phone beeped and before he could pull out another item from the bag he checked his phone. “Shit, I have to go,” he cursed. “You can finish looking through his bag without me. I’ll see you tomorrow at four.”

“Okay. Bye,” Kurt said and watched the other boy leave.

When the door closed he looked down at the locket again. Could it be that the boy in the photo, smiling brightly at the camera, was the same boy who was sleeping on his chest because he was too scared to sleep alone? It all seemed like a cruel joke to him.


	21. Chapter 21

**December 9, 2012**

Lying in bed with Blaine was more difficult for Kurt to endure than he had thought it would be. The slave boy had a strong hold on him and there was no way Kurt could remove the duvet from himself without exposing the other boy to the cold air. He was sweating in his clothes but still didn’t make a move to get himself more comfortable, especially since Blaine made content sounds from time to time. If it wasn’t for his constant coughs, his sleep would have looked peaceful.

Kurt was beginning to doze off when his room door was pushed a little and Burt came backwards with a bed tray in his hands. When the man turned around the boy saw two bowls of steaming hot soup with spoons in them. Suddenly Kurt felt really hungry, something he hadn’t felt since the previous morning.

“He’s been sleeping a lot,” Burt commented after seeing the scene before him and Kurt was glad that his dad decided not to make fun of the way Blaine was sleeping on him. Until he did. “Probably because our pillows are so comfortable.”

“Very funny,” Kurt said dryly. “He said he was afraid that someone might hurt him while he was asleep…”

“They probably came after him while he was sleeping,” Burt speculated. “That would explain it.”

The boy nodded and caressed Blaine’s cheek that wasn’t on his chest. “Blaine? Wake up. You need to eat.”

Blaine easily woke up as he hadn’t been sleeping for that long. “Food?” he asked hoarsely.

“Yeah, my dad made some chicken soup,” Kurt explained and helped the boy sit up.

When they were finally sitting comfortably, Burt came to the bed and put the tray with food on Blaine’s lap. “Hi, Blaine, my name is Burt. I’m Kurt’s dad,” he introduced himself.

“Hi, Kurt’s dad,” Blaine smiled at him and lowered his eyes to the soup in front of him. “It smells nice.”

“It’s hot,” Kurt warned the boy. “Let me help you.”

The boy took the spoon from the bowl that was closer to the slave but Burt stopped him. “You need to eat as well. I’ll help Blaine.”

Kurt watched as his dad took the spoonful of soup and blew cold air at it making sure it wouldn’t burn the boy’s mouth.

“Open up,” Burt said and waited for Blaine to open his mouth.

The boy chewed what was solid in the spoon and swallowed with a frown. “Hurts to eat,” he uttered.

Kurt tried his own soup but didn’t endure any pain. “How does it hurt?” he asked.

“Swallowing,” Blaine explained.

“Your throat must be sore from the cold,” Burt said with sympathy. “We’ll give you some medicine afterwards but you really need to eat, okay?”

“Okay,” the boy agreed with no arguing though it was obvious that he wasn’t too keen on eating anymore no matter how loudly his stomach started growling.

They continued eating in silence, Blaine eating much more slowly since Burt took extra care of the temperature of the food as well as making sure not to let any drops fall on the bedding or the boy’s skin. The slave also chewed slowly as it seemed that it was less painful for him to swallow well chewed food. Despite it being obvious that it hurt Blaine didn’t complain and took every spoon that was offered to him until he couldn’t fit anymore.

“I’m full,” he said sadly eyeing the half empty bowl.

“That’s fine,” Burt said and put the spoon back into the bowl. “You can have some more later when you feel hungry.”

“Thank you,” Blaine said and yawned. “Can I use my own hands next time?”

Burt laughed and retreated the tray once Kurt put his spoon into his empty bowl. “Yeah, if you are feeling better by then.”

“I will,” the slave boy nodded. “But I’ll only be using my right hand because my left wrist hurts…”

“It will heal,” Kurt said. “Dad, can you stay with Blaine for a little while? I will take the tray to the kitchen and grab some pyjamas from the dryer for him.”

“Sure,” the man said and Kurt left them alone after hearing Blaine say that he needed to pee.

The boy went to the kitchen and then to the room where they kept the washing machine together with the dryer. He took the dry clothes out of the dryer and found his clean pyjamas among other things. It smelled really nice and Kurt was sure Blaine would appreciate it, especially in the state he was in right now.

Kurt took the pyjamas but before he left he noticed the body part of his favourite toy lying on the washing machine and he remembered his dad telling him he would put it there. Now that he had the head as well, he could finally fix the toy and then wash it later. The boy took it in his other hand and went upstairs to find his dad telling Blaine about some football game he had watched recently.

“Did you know Blaine liked football?” Burt asked when he noticed Kurt.

“I didn’t,” Kurt said attempting to hide his smile. “I’m glad you two have something in common.”

“Finally I’ll have someone to watch football with,” the man said happily. “Like really watch, not just pretend to with empty eyes staring at the screen.”

Kurt shrugged. “At least I try,” he said and extended the pyjamas to Blaine, who, he had noticed, was wearing a new clean pair of boxers. “These are for you, Blaine. It would be great if you could out them on.”

Without hesitation the slave boy got out of the bed and put on the clothing. When he was ready to go back to bed, he noticed the other thing Kurt was holding.

“Mr. Honey!” he exclaimed, his face lit up with a big toothy smile.

“You remember it?” Kurt asked confused. Blaine couldn’t recognise him so it was weird that he could remember the toy he had had for a short time.

Blaine nodded and sat down on the bed. “A friend gave it to me. What happened to his head?” he asked confused.

“It broke but we could fix it after you take your medicine,” Kurt offered.

“I’ll bring a glass of water,” Burt mumbled and left.

“Why do I need medicine?” Blaine frowned.

Kurt sat down on the bed and took the other boy’s hand in his without even thinking. “You got really cold not long ago and now you are sick. You cough a lot and your throat is sore. Also, you have a fever so you need to take some pills to get better.”

“Can Mr. Honey take medicine too?”

Kurt smiled fondly at that. “He needs different type of cure. It needs… a surgery.”

“Are you a doctor?” Blaine asked with a tilt of his head.

“I am right now. And you can assist me during the procedure,” the boy said and went to find his sewing kit.

“Would it make me a nurse?”

“Yes, it would,” Kurt said and took his large sewing kit out of the drawer. “Here it is.”

Blaine watched Kurt come to the bed and put the kit on it. “It’s huge!” he said in amazement.

Kurt fished the toy’s head out of the bag and sat down next to Blaine. “I like designing clothes. I’m planning to study design after school. And next week I will alter some of my clothes to fit you before I can go shopping for you. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to bring you with me.”

“It’s okay, I don’t like shopping anyway,” Blaine said and took Mr. Honey’s head. “It will be a difficult surgery, doctor.”

“With an assistant like you it should go well,” Kurt giggled and took out the pills so that they would be ready by the time his dad came back with water.

Which happened moments later as Burt walked into the room carrying a single glass in his right hand. “Here it is,” he said and gave the glass to Blaine.

Kurt gave him the pills and the boy swallowed them one by one. “Still hurts,” he said massaging his neck and gave the glass back to Burt. “Thank you.”

“No problem, kid,” the man said. “I’ll go catch a game. Yell if you need anything, okay?”

“Sure,” Kurt said and Burt left. “Okay, nurse, let’s take care of our patient. Hold its body still so I can sew its head back.”

“Okay, doctor,” the boy said and took the body part in his hands, holding it gently but still firmly.

Kurt put a thread through a needle and placed the head where it had to be. “Let’s begin,” he said and carefully put the needle through tender material.

They worked for good ten minutes before Blaine’s eyes became heavier but he insisted on staying awake since their patient’s wellbeing depended on them. Sometimes they had to stop when the boy began to cough so wildly that the toy shook but other than that it went well and by the time they finished Kurt was satisfied with the outcome.

“It's almost like new, a bit scarred but still beautiful,” he said and Blaine took the full hold of the toy as Kurt went to tidy up his sewing kit, making sure to save the leftover thread for his scrapbook.

“He is even prettier now,” he said. “You can see he was hurt but it didn’t ruin him.”

“That’s true, he is incredibly strong,” Kurt said not looking at the toy but directly at Blaine who now had the toy pressed to his chest.

“Can he sleep with us tonight?” the slave asked hopefully. “We need to make sure nothing bad happens after the surgery.”

“Of course,” Kurt said and yawned suddenly feeling the consequences after the sleepless night. “Do you want to sleep now?”

Blaine nodded and made himself comfortable in bed with the teddy bear still in his arms.

“I’ll go change,” Kurt said and went to the bathroom to change into shorts and a t-shirt.

After brushing his teeth he made a mental note to take a shower in the morning or in the evening is he woke up the same day, and went back to his room ready for bed. The boy had expected Blaine to be fast asleep but for some reason he was staying awake.

“Not sleepy anymore?” Kurt asked as the boy yawned as an answer to his question.

“I wanted to say goodnight,” Blaine said with a sleepy smile.

“Um, would you like to brush your teeth before going to bed?” Kurt asked.

The slave boy ran his tongue over his front teeth and shook his head.

Kurt looked at him disapprovingly. “Starting tomorrow you will have to do it every morning and before bed,” he said and got under the duvet.

“Okay,” Blaine said and snuggled to Kurt’s side with the teddy bear between them. “Goodnight.”

“Sweet dreams,” Kurt said, trying hard not to think how much their sleeping position reminded of a little family. Soon they both fell asleep peacefully in each other’s arms.

**December 10, 2012**

Waking up was difficult for Kurt. He woke up with a startle when the front door was shut with some force and opened his heavy eyes, his brain still refusing to fully function. Judging by the light seeping through the closed curtains he guessed that it was already morning and his dad just left for work. He couldn’t believe he had slept for so long even if it was after a sleepless night. His emotions must have left him drained.

When his sight got a bit clearer the boy saw Blaine still asleep with the toy by his side but not holding it. He smiled at how adorable the slave boy looked and carefully got up as his bladder could hardly hold any longer.

After he was done with the bathroom Kurt made his way into his room and found Blaine sitting in the bed. The boy looked up and there was nothing but confusion in his face, which was soon replaced by recognition.

“Kurt?” Blaine uttered, the pain of betrayal obvious in his voice. He lowered his head respectfully. “I’m sorry for speaking without permission… Master.”


	22. Chapter 22

**December 10, 2012**

_After he was done with the bathroom Kurt made his way into his room and found Blaine sitting in the bed. The boy looked up and there was nothing but confusion in his face, which was soon replaced by recognition._

_“Kurt?” Blaine uttered, the pain of betrayal obvious in his voice. He lowered his head respectfully. “I’m sorry for speaking without permission… Master.”_

Kurt growled internally. So far he had seen a freaking out, trying to climb out of the window Blaine, a high on fever Blaine, and now this. Deep inside he had known that there was a possibility of losing the slave boy’s trust but he hoped that after he recovered, the boy would recognise him as a friend who had helped him earlier. No such luck. Currently the sick boy was sitting on the bed in a submissive position, most likely beating himself up for ever trusting him.

_Fucking perfect._

“Come on, Blaine, I’ve told you to call me Kurt,” he said trying to be gentle but failing as his frustration got the best of him.

The boy startled at Kurt’s voice and his shoulders tensed even more. “I’m sorry, Ma– Kurt!”

“No, no, no!” Kurt shouted before he could stop himself. This wasn’t going well. “I’m not your master or in any way superior, okay? I’m the same boy you met not so long ago, the only difference is that you are in my house and in my bedroom right now. There is a perfectly logical explanation for that.”

“Who– If I may ask…” Blaine began but started coughing mid-sentence.

Kurt waited until he was finished to encourage him to talk. “Feel free to ask me anything,” he said and leaned on the wall.

“If you are not my Master, then who is?” the boy asked not daring to raise his head even though Kurt had insisted they were equals.

“You are,” Kurt asked and Blaine finally looked up. “You are your own person here, okay? Nothing changed just because you are here. Imagine you are still living in the sewing factory, just warmer and more comfortable. And you don’t have to worry about food or clothes, or shower, anything.”

Blaine looked down at his lap, trying to process Kurt’s words. “I don’t understand…”

Kurt ran his fingers through his hair, trying to think of the best way to go about it. “I’ll explain you everything, I promise, but first I’d rather have you eat something. You are really sick and you need food. How about you go use the bathroom now. Meanwhile I will find some warm clothes for you and then we will talk things out over breakfast. How does that sound?”

Kurt waited for a few moments for Blaine to answer but the other boy showed on intention of voicing his opinion, he only sat there quietly as if waiting for direct orders.

“Well, um, do you want to use the bathroom now?” Kurt asked awkwardly.

The boy nodded but made no move.

“So, you can…you can go and use it.”

Blaine got out of the bed and made his way to the bathroom. When the door closed, Kurt hid his face in his hands and tried to supress the shouts that were threatening to escape his mouth. He was way too young to be dealing with any of this. If it wasn’t for the fact that Blaine didn’t know Burt, he might have insisted on his dad staying home while he went to school. On the other hand, they needed money more than ever, especially if Blaine agreed to stay with them.

Trying to collect himself Kurt went to his closet and changed his clothes before looking for something that Blaine could wear. It had to be something warm and comfy. He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to get the slave out of bed so soon but he couldn’t lie in bed for too long either – it wasn’t healthy for his back and muscles.

Blaine came out of the bathroom at the moment Kurt finished picking his outfit which consisted of thick warm sweatpants, woollen socks, undershirt and a homemade sweater that grandma Hummel had made a few years back. It was nothing fashionable but it would keep Blaine warm and it was all that mattered.

“So, here are the clothes for you,” Kurt gestured and went to his underwear drawer. “And here is a pair of clean boxers. I promise they are properly washed. I will soon go shopping and get you your own clothes, okay?”

The other boy just nodded, wriggling his hands nervously. Kurt looked at him not sure what he wanted when he finally caught up with the reason why he might have been nervous.

“Okay, I’ll leave you to change and when you are done, please, come downstairs,” the teen asked, hoping that Blaine wouldn’t take it as an order. “I’ll be in the kitchen making us breakfast.”

After he finished he took the small bag of medicine so he could give them to Blaine when they finished eating and went to the door before he remembered something.

“And, please, don’t try to jump out of the window,” he pleaded, which earned him a confused look from Blaine. “You kind of already tried to do that.”

“Oh,” Blaine’s eyebrows furrowed as the boy tried to remember. “I won’t do that again, Ma– I won’t.”

Kurt nodded at that. “So, get changed and come to the kitchen… please.”

With that the boy left his room and shut the door closed. When he reached the kitchen and knew that Blaine wouldn’t be able to hear him, he took his phone out of his pocket and dialled his dad’s number. After a few moments his call was answered.

“Hey, buddy, is everything okay?”

Kurt placed the bag on the table and pressed the phone with his head to his shoulder so he would be able to start on breakfast. “I don’t know… Blaine woke up and he thinks I’m his master. He is kind of slave-like right now and I’m not sure how to deal with this.”

“Do you want me to come home?”

“Could you? He is changing and I’m making breakfast right now and then I’m going to answer his questions about what happened but I’d like to have you here. I mean, if it’s you offering him to stay with us, it will sound a bit more serious.”

“Of course, I’m leaving now, the guys will be able to take care of the business for a while. Do you think it’s safe to leave Blaine alone?”

“He promised not to jump out of the window. He looked at me like I was crazy when I asked him not to. I think what happened earlier was all due to the fever and now he is more like himself,” Kurt said and put the soup pot from yesterday to heat up.

“How is his fever this morning?”

“I haven’t taken his temperature yet. Honestly, I totally forgot but I’ll do that after breakfast.”

“Okay, do that.”

Kurt heard the steps upstairs and decided it was Blaine coming down. “I have to go, dad. Drive safe.”

“I always do,” Burt said with a chuckle and hung up.

“Kurt?” a tentative voice came from the staircase.

“I’m here,” he shouted so that Blaine could follow his voice. Soon the boy entered the kitchen, looking a bit ridiculous in his attire. “Are the clothes comfortable?”

“Yes, thank you,” Blaine said standing in the doorway.

“I’m making soup right now. I mean, I’m warming it up since my dad made it yesterday,” Kurt explained. “Would you like to sit down?”

The slave boy looked around. “Where may I sit?”

“Anywhere you want?” Kurt said but it came out more like a question. “A chair preferably.”

Blaine nodded and sat down on the chair that was closest to him. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Kurt asked with one eyebrow raised.

“For letting me sit on the furniture,” the other boy explained, his eyes downcast, the sight that Kurt already hated.

“You can always sit on the furniture,” Kurt said. “I mean, the furniture that is there for sitting on. It would be weird to sit on tables or counters.”

It was meant to be a joke to lighten up the mood but it didn’t help as Blaine nodded with a serious expression. “I understand, I won’t sit on counters or tables.”

“Um, thank you,” Kurt responded and went to grab a bag of bread from the cupboard. “Would you like some toast with your chicken soup?”

“I… you don’t have to feed me,” Blaine mumbled silently, his stomach making louder noises than his mouth.

“I want to. Now, please, be honest, does it still hurt to swallow?”

Blaine looked up surprised. “How do you know?” he asked and paled at his own bold question. “I’m sorry! Please, if I may, how did you guess?”

“You told me yesterday,” Kurt explained and put two pieces of bread in the toaster. “My dad was feeding you soup and you said it hurt.”

“I don’t remember,” the slave said, his face showing concentration as he tried to remember.

“You had such high fever that you were a bit out of it,” Kurt said sympathetically. “I will tell you everything once we finish eating. My dad is coming back from work to help me with the story and later Noah is coming as well.”

“Puck?” Blaine asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.

Kurt nodded. “Yes, he knows you are with me because he helped me bring you here,” he said and Blaine’s face fell. “I will text him to let him know you are properly awake. He was really worried about you.”

Blaine didn’t comment on that and Kurt continued to work in silence. As there wasn’t much soup left since the day before, it warmed up rather quickly and soon two full bowls of soup made their way onto the table with a plate of toasts by the side.

“Let’s eat,” Kurt said and put the first spoon of soup into his mouth, encouraging Blaine to eat as well.

“Thank you,” the boy whispered and followed Kurt’s lead. “It’s very delicious.”

“I’m glad you like it,” the teenager said and continued eating, trying not to stare at Blaine for too long since he didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable.

They were halfway through their meal when they heard the front door being unlocked and Burt came in.

“We are in the kitchen,” Kurt shouted, startling Blaine a little. “Sorry, it’s just my dad.”

Blaine just nodded and placed his spoon into the bowl, not eating anymore. Kurt did the same as his dad walked into the kitchen.

“Good morning, boys,” he said and walked over to Kurt’s side of the table so that he could face Blaine without crowding him. “Hi, Blaine. My name is Burt, I’m Kurt’s dad.”

“Hello, Sir,” the slave boy answered politely, his hands in his lap and shoulders slumped.

Burt sat down on a free chair and eyed Blaine carefully. “How are you feeling today?”

The boy looked up confused at the question as if he wasn’t used to people caring about him. “I’m fine, Sir.”

“And truthfully?”

“I… My throat hurts, I cough a little, and I have a headache, Sir,” Blaine listed his symptoms. “I’m also a bit itchy but it’s probably because I’m dirty.”

Kurt noticed his discomfort and cut in. “When your body temperature goes down a little you’ll be able to take a bath or a shower. With a high fever it’s not good to shower.”

“I could shower?” Blaine asked with hope in his voice.

Burt nodded. “Of course. I think we should get straight to the talk since I’ll have to go back to the shop.”

“Okay,” Kurt agreed. “I’ll start from the beginning. I was at a frie– classmate’s place and she told me that some higher-ups weren’t particularly fond of you living in Lima anymore. I got scared that they might hurt you and I told my dad. We decided to look for you and with the help from Noah we found you.”

“I don’t remember that,” Blaine frowned.

“You were unconscious,” Burt uttered. “I don’t know if you have seen yourself in a mirror already but you are all bruised because someone must have beaten you up.”

The slave boy ran his finger over the bondage on his wrist.

“Do you remember what happened?” Kurt asked softly.

Blaine gave him a minuscule nod but didn’t say anything. Kurt took that as a cue to continue the story.

“We found you almost naked and it seemed like you had been lying there for a while because you had gotten hypothermia. We took you to our car and brought you here. It took some time but we got you warmed up but of course you ended up with a fever and a cold.”

“May I ask about jumping out of the window?” Blaine asked, daring to take a glance at Kurt.

“The first time you woke up you were really scared and couldn’t recognise me. I left you alone in my room to make some tea and when my dad and I came back, you were trying to escape through the window. You would have hurt yourself pretty badly if I hadn’t managed to stop you in time.”

“Oh… Thank you,” Blaine whispered, taking in the whole information.

Burt cleared his throat. “If you have any more questions about what happened you can ask Kurt later. Now we should talk about the future,” he said. “Right now you are really sick so the only option here is for you to stay until you get better. Then, it’s up to you what happens. We may just let you go and you can continue living like you did before. We could also drive you to some place far from the people who want to hurt you and leave you there. Or you can stay with us.”

Blaine looked taken aback and openly stared at Burt. “What?”

“I like the last option the best because I’d rather have you here and see that you are okay than have you far from here with both of us worrying about you,” the man said. “We have a guest room but I don’t think we will be having many guests and while it’s small, I’m sure you and Kurt would be able to make it homey with decorations and whatever. It could be your own bedroom.”

“We would love to have you here,” Kurt chimed in.

Blaine’s eyes kept going from Kurt to Burt and back. “But I can leave?”

“Whenever you want after you get better,” Burt assured the boy. “You have my word.”

“Please, Blaine, stay with us…” Kurt pleaded.

The slave boy swallowed loudly, obviously uncomfortable as the Hummel men stared at him intently. “I…”


	23. Chapter 23

**December 10, 2012**

“I... I don‘t want to stay… please,” Blaine whispered, lowering his head once again.

Kurt’s eyes widened and he was about to protest when his dad stopped him. “How about we don’t make rushed decisions, huh? Let’s wait for you to get better and then you can decide what you want,” the man suggested, probably not surprised by the boy’s reluctance to stay.

“Yes, Sir,” the slave boy agreed in a small voice.

Kurt only hoped that he didn’t thing his right to choose had been taken away from him. Maybe it would have been for the best not to talk about the future just yet.

“When your body temperature goes back to normal and you stop coughing then you can make your decision,” the teen suggested. “Now we can focus on you getting your health back instead of worrying about the future.”

“Sounds great,” Burt supported his son’s idea. “I’ll go to work now. Call me if you need anything, alright?”

“Of course,” Kurt smiled at his dad.

“Have a nice day, Sir,” Blaine said politely, shocking both men.

“Uh, you too, kid,” Burt said dumbfounded and left.

When they were left alone, Kurt saw the other boy eyeing the soup bowl, obviously not sure what he was supposed to do. “If you want you can finish the soup but it must be cold already so you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“May I finish later?” Blaine said, his eyes never leaving the table.

“You don’t have to because it will be gross. I will just make something when you are hungry again,” Kurt said and went to the fridge to find milk. “I’ll make you some warm milk now.”

“I’m not hungry, Si– Kurt,” the boy whispered. “You don’t have to waste any more food on me.”

Kurt frowned but poured the milk into a mug nevertheless. “Feeding you is not a waste of food. And this is for your throat. Warm milk with honey makes wonders. I always drink it when I have a sore throat and it actually helps.”

“Thank you,” Blaine whispered. “I used to– Thank you.”

Kurt didn’t question the boy’s slip up and put the mug into the microwave. Normally he would use the stove but it was easier and quicker this way.

“Do you prefer eating honey and then drinking milk or mixing it together?”

“Anything is fine,” Blaine muttered.

Kurt took the bowls of soup and placed them on the counter thinking he could clean them up later when Blaine slept which would probably happen soon. “Personally I prefer mixing them but it’s up to you,” he said and was met with silence. “Just so you know, I keep your locket as a hostage and if you want to get it back, then you will have to tell me how to make your milk.”

It was meant as a joke, said with a teasing smile but Blaine’s eyes widened in horror. “One teaspoon of honey mixed with milk with a dash of cinnamon,” he said hastily.

Kurt wanted to kick himself. He would have never threatened Blaine if he had known that the boy would take it seriously. The locket was probably his most valuable belonging so it only made sense that the boy got scared of losing it. Of course, he should have expected such reaction but he wasn’t used to tiptoeing around people so it would take some time.

“Cinnamon? Interesting,” Kurt commented, trying to sound cheerful. “But I must agree it does sound good.”

“Can I… may I have my locket?” Blaine asked and bit his bottom lip waiting for the answer.

The microwave beeped and Kurt opened it. “Of course, I was just joking. Noah brought your bag from the factory and everything is safe in my room. I didn’t take anything, everything in it is yours.”

“Your box is there. I’m sorry for keeping it for so long,” the slave apologised.

Kurt shrugged and put a teaspoon of honey into the mug. “You can keep it, I don’t mind. If you end up leaving it will be more useful for you than me.”

Blaine snivelled and Kurt quickly gave him some paper towel. “Thank you. When can I leave?”

_Never…_

“As I’ve already told you, you can leave as soon as you are of a perfect health. No nigh temperature, no coughing or sore throat, or a runny nose that you are apparently beginning to have. After that you are free to leave but I really hope you stay.”

“I can’t,” Blaine whispered.

“Of course you can!” Kurt exclaimed, raising his voice in annoyance. “My dad and I are offering you a warm, safe place to stay. What’s better about living in a draughty building where anyone can come and hurt you?”

“Freedom,” the boy said almost inaudibly and a single tear rolled down his cheeks.

The sight in front of him broke Kurt’s heart and the teen wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around Blaine’s thin body. “Oh, sweetie, you are a free person here. I told you, we are equals. Neither I, nor my dad are going to treat you like a slave. It will be like you are my friend staying over. When I was still living in Paris my friend Gérard once stayed with us for a month because his parents were travelling.”

The boy wiped his tears with the back of his hand. “I don’t belong to you…”

“Of course you don’t, in my eyes you are not a slave.”

“No, I don’t belong to you so you can’t keep me. If someone finds out–” Blaine began to explain.

“Then we will make sure nobody does,” Kurt shrugged even though he feared that police officers might come any time and take his dad away together with Blaine. “It was dark when we brought you here and if you stay inside we should be fine. I know you don’t trust me right now but I’m going to prove that you are safe with us.”

The other boy said nothing just watched Kurt put the mug with warm milk with cinnamon floating on the surface in front of him. “Thank you,” he said and took a sip of the drink, his eyes closing as the sweet taste filled his mouth.

“After you finish you should take medicine and then we will have to take your body temperature,” Kurt explained while Blaine drank the milk. “It seems that you are much better today but we need to check just so we know. Then if you feel like it you could take a nap. Noah should be here around four with his friends so you should probably stay out of sight when they are here. You could talk to Noah after the others leave. And depending on your temperature in the evening, maybe you will be able to take a shower or bath before bed. When you are clean I could help you with the bruises. My dad bought some ointment. So, how does that sound?”

The boy just nodded, his face half hidden behind the mug. It didn’t really answer Kurt’s question but it was as good as it was going to get.

“I totally forgot. Are you in any pain other than your throat, head, and bruises?”

Blaine shook his head after a moment of thinking.

“Good. We hoped you wouldn’t have any broken bones,” Kurt said conversationally. “Since we can’t really have you here, it would be tricky to get you proper medical help. We just kind of used a lot of google when we found you but it wouldn’t be much of help if you had some broken bones. So all is good.”

His words were met with more silence and Kurt sighed heavily. He kind of missed Blaine from the day before. The sweet clueless boy, who believed that the toy was their patient. That Blaine was much easier to deal with even if seeing the slave boy getting better made Kurt happy.

The teen watched the other boy finish the last drops of his drink and place his right hand over his stomach. For someone who had hardly been full for a long time Blaine had a lot for breakfast. Maybe he shouldn’t have pushed him to have the milk right away, it could have been done at any time later on.

“I don’t think you’ll be able to drink a glass of water, do you?” he asked but didn’t wait for the boy to answer. “I guess you could take the pills a bit later. Now let’s go upstairs. We still need to take your temperature and then I will change the bandage on your wrist.”

Blaine nodded and went to the sink with the mug in his hand.

“Leave it there, I’ll clean it later,” Kurt said having guessed Blaine’s intentions. “You have been out of bed for too long as it is.”

The boy complied and they walked back to the bedroom in silence. On their way Kurt wondered how long it would take for the boy to feel comfortable enough to freely talk to him. He only hoped it would happen soon. Maybe Noah’s presence would help later.

They entered the room and Kurt saw his bed already made with Blaine’s pyjamas folded on top. “You didn’t have to make the bed but thank you,” he said to the other boy with a smile. “I’ll go to the bathroom to get what I need for the bandage change and you can change back into the pyjamas, okay?”

He waited for Blaine to give a nod and went into the bathroom. It took him seconds to find what he needed since it wasn’t the first time he changed the bandage on Blaine’s wrist so he kept everything in one place, but he deliberately took much longer so that the boy could comfortably change.

When the rustle in his room stopped Kurt decided that Blaine was done and went back into his room. “Um, please, sit on the bed… under the blankets,” he asked trying to show the other boy that he had a choice to argue if he didn’t want to do what he had suggested.

Blaine didn’t argue though and arranged himself under the duvet. “I… you said… please, can I have my locket?” he pleaded hesitantly.

“Oh, of course,” Kurt said and opened the drawer in the night stand where he had put the locket earlier. “Here it is.”

Blaine reached for the locket when Kurt extended it to him and pressed it to his chest with eyes closed. It looked like a private ritual and the teenager turned around and pretended to be busy, giving the slave a few moments for himself. When he turned around again he saw Blaine’s watery eyes but didn’t comment on that.

Having decided that it was for the best to not question the boy about his past or the meaning of his most precious belonging, Kurt took the thermometer and ignored the way Blaine’s knuckles whitened at the strong grip on the locket. “Could you keep this in your mouth?” he asked giving the boy the thermometer. “I will take care of your wrist while we take your temperature.”

Blaine put the thermometer into his mouth and Kurt took his left hand in his lap. When he took off the old bandage he found out that the wound was healing nicely and was pleased to see that there was no sign of infection. He carefully cleaned the wound, put some ointment that would speed up the healing on it, and wrapped the boy’s wrist with bandage. The whole time he could feel Blaine’s eyes on him.

“Here you go,” Kurt smiled at him and took the thermometer out of the boy’s mouth. It had beeped while he was still working on the wrist but the boy wanted to finish with the wound first. “One hundred and a half. You are doing much better than I expected. Do you want to get some sleep now?”

“May I?” Blaine asked hopefully.

“Sure,” Kurt said encouragingly. “If you need anything let me know.”

“Thank you,” the slave whispered and got into a lying position.

“Sleep well,” the teen said and sat down on his desk chair ready to work on his homework.

Before he opened his history textbook he decided to text Puck to let him know about Blaine and found a new message that he hadn’t heard arrive.

 _Rachel:_ Hi, Kurt. Why aren’t you at school? While you were unreasonably impolite to us, Mercedes and I decided to forgive you for the weekend so you don’t have to avoid us. Just one apology and we will be back to normal. Miss you! xoxo

Kurt rolled his eyes and ignored the message. Trust those two divas to think that he should be the one apologising.

 _Kurt:_ Hey, Blaine woke up all slave-like today, thought you should know. Physically he is better though.

 _Noah:_ no worries princess ill talk to him and mike is coming so you are covered

 _Kurt:_ What?

 _Noah:_ nothing my gf found your timetable will bring your assignments nerd

 _Noah:_ kiss blainers for me

 _Kurt:_ Fuck you.

Kurt set his phone on the table and opened his history textbook, ready to study for the test their class would be taking on Friday. Hopefully Napoleon would distract him from reality.


	24. Chapter 24

**December 10, 2012**

Somewhere between the Battle of Borodino and the battle of Waterloo the wind outside began to blow harder and soon it was hard to see anything through the mist of snowflakes. Kurt looked at the boy, who was mumbling something in his sleep and tried not to think of him roaming the streets during such weather. He calculated that it wouldn’t take more than three weeks for the boy to get back on his feet entirely. If his cough grew into something worse, then maybe a month. In any case scenario, Blaine would be healthy enough by the beginning or the middle of January. It was way too soon for his liking.

For a moment the teenager contemplated prolonging Blaine’s illness, like not giving him enough medicine. It made him feel ashamed of himself even to think of such thing. The other way was harder but it was what a good person would do – making sure the slave boy felt like home and wanted to stay.

Putting the history textbook aside Kurt grabbed some draft paper and a pen and made a list.

_How to Make Blaine Want to Stay:_

_1\. Treat him as equal (obviously)_

_2\. Set up a guest room for him (decorate it to his liking)_

_3\. Try to find out about his hobbies, etc. (Noah may know something; Blaine is unlikely to open up)_

_4\. Make sure dad doesn’t make stupid jokes (same goes to yourself)_

_5\. Keep hinting how much it sucks living on the streets (he knows it already, just remind him from time to time)_

_6\. Tell him you want him to stay (every day) (also, tell dad to do the same)_

_7\. Don’t make decisions for him (always ask for his opinion, ALWAYS)_

_8\. Don’t judge him before imagining yourself in his shoes (what would_ you _think/do/say if you were him?)_

_9\. Make his Christmas unforgettable (some holiday cheer may help and if not, at least it will be a nice memory for him) (also, buy a present that could be useful both if he stays and if he leaves)_

_10\. You have a month, make it count! (it seems like a long time but it isn’t)_

_P.s. If he still wants to leave lock him in the basement, wrap him in warm blankets, hug him as tight as you can, and never let go. Like, NEVER! No bathroom breaks for either of you._

Kurt finished the list, leaving some space in case he came up with something new later on and put it in-between the pages of his scrapbook since he knew nobody would ever find it there. He knew the list contained obvious things but putting them onto paper made him feel like he was actually doing something already.

After this was done, the boy checked the time and decided that Blaine had slept for long enough. The sick boy needed to take medicine and he could easily go back to sleep after taking the pills.

Kurt silently made his way out of his room and into the kitchen to get a glass of water and came back a minute later. He set the glass next to the pills on the nightstand and gently shook Blaine, trying to wake him up.

“Blaine, wake up, it’s time to take medicine,” he said softly.

The boy rubbed his face into the pillow. “Five more minutes,” he uttered groggily and settled his head onto the pillow again.

“I’m sorry but you need to take some pills,” Kurt explained softly to a waking boy, cursing himself for already doing the exact opposite of what was said in the list – making a decision for Blaine. “When you are done you can go back to sleep if you want to.”

Blaine’s unfocused eyes found Kurt and he sat up in bed. “If that pleases you,” he said nonchalantly.

“It’s up to you,” the teen responded and handed the slave boy the pills and the glass of water. “Take them, please, they will make you feel better.”

Blaine swallowed the pills with a wince when the water hit his aching throat. “What can I do for you?” he asked when Kurt took the glass from him.

“What do you want to do?”

“Anything you want me to do.”

“I want you to tell me what you want to do,” Kurt said, feeling like there was no victory in this battle.

Blaine just shrugged, not looking at Kurt. “I can’t do what I want to do.”

“And what is that?” the boy asked trying not to sound pushy.

“I want to leave,” Blaine whispered.

“Blaine, come on, can’t you see that there is a snow storm starting outside? How can you want to leave when you have a nice place to stay?”

The boy remained silent for a moment as if he hadn’t heard a word Kurt said. “May I sleep, Mr Kurt?”

_Now that’s a new one…_

“It’s just Kurt, Blaine,” he said with a sigh. “If you want, you can sleep now.”

***

The next time Blaine woke up was a few hours later when the doorbell rang and Kurt jumped at the sound. He checked the time to see it was half past three.

“It’s okay, it’s just a doorbell,” he explained to the startled boy and rushed out of his room to see who was at the door.

“Hey, princess, missed me?” Puck asked the moment the door opened and went in uninvited. “I brought your shit,” he threw his bag on the floor and took off his jacket.

“Thanks,” Kurt muttered and closed the door. “You are early. I thought you were coming at four.”

“Decided to come over and check on Blainers first. Your text got me worried,” he said and went upstairs with Kurt in tow.

“Still went to school though?”

“I may be a delinquent but it doesn’t mean that I want to be stupid,” he explained and opened the door. “Hey Blainers, how is my favourite homo doing?”

Kurt saw Blaine jump a little in surprise but he quickly sat up and lowered his head respectfully. “Good afternoon, Sir.”

Puck looked back at Kurt with a questioning look on his face but only got a shrug in return. “I’m Puck, remember? Your sort of friend? Stole newspapers for you?”

“I remember you, Sir,” Blaine said and started coughing.

“So you should remember that I’m not some ‘sir’ to you.”

“I’m sorry, Si– Sorry…”

Puck sat down on the edge of the bed. “Could you leave us alone for a bit?” he asked Kurt.

“I’ll go start dinner,” the boy mumbled and left.

If there was anyone who could make Blaine get out of his slave stupor, it was Puck. They knew each for quite a long time and Kurt was actually jealous of their friendship. He only hoped that soon he would have something like that with Blaine.

Halfway through cutting carrots for a vegetable stew the doorbell rang again and after washing his hands Kurt went to see who was there, guessing it would be Puck’s friends.

He was right as the opened door revealed a bunch of teenagers standing in the cold. There were four girls and one guy, who was the one to speak.

“Hi, I’m Mike. Our friend Puck told us to come here?” he said.

“You must be Kurt,” a girl next to the guy said and Kurt recognised her as Tina from his history class. “I hope Puck told you we were coming.”

“He did, hi,” the boy said and stepped to the side to let everyone in. “Come in. You can hang your coats here. The living room is that way. Make yourself comfortable and I’ll go get Noah.”

“You must be really brave to call Puck Noah,” a blonde girl said. “He gets angry when somebody does that. I don’t like angry Puck.”

“We have a deal,” Kurt smiled and left the group alone.

He made his way upstairs wondering why Puck hadn’t come down when he had heard his friends arrive. The answer to that was given to him when he approached the door and heard the boy still talking to Blaine.

“…they are good people and it’s coming from me,” he heard Puck finish the sentence.

“I just can’t…” Blaine said in a low voice.

“You don’t really have to trust them. I get it that you don’t… Just give them a chance, okay? Papa Hummel is the coolest adult I’ve ever met and princess… well, he is hot, right?”

“Stop that,” Blaine whined.

“Ha! You want into his pants, don’t you? You horny motherfucker,” Puck laughed and Kurt heard a slap. “Ouch, you got violent!”

“Only towards people who suck,” Blaine let out a chuckle and Kurt felt tears swelling up in his eyes. It was unfair that Puck got the slave boy laughing in a matter of minutes when he couldn’t even get him talk to him properly.

“Fair enough… So, will you try for me?”

“I don’t know how to do that…”

“Try to be yourself for starters. Lose that ‘sir’ crap.”

“What if they don’t like me when I’m not acting like a slave? What if they hurt me for that?” Blaine’s voice became so silent that Kurt had to try really hard to hear anything.

“Then you tell me and you will be out of here in a second,” Puck said with determination in his voice. “I doubt it will happen though. Hummels are good. Let them help you.”

“Will you come over sometimes?”

“Of course I will. Even if I’m not invited or whatever. And if you want to talk to me you can always get Kurt to call me. I’ll talk to him about that, okay?”

“Puck! Get your ass here!” Kurt heard some girl yell from downstairs and it was his cue to announce of his presence.

He knocked on the door and opened it. “Hey, as you might have heard your friends are here, Noah,” he said.

“Good, we just finished talking,” Puck said. “See you later, Blainers.”

With that he left and Kurt tried to think of any activity that could occupy the slave for a little bit. When his eyes landed on the boy’s face he came up with something.

“Would you like to take a bath maybe?” he asked and saw excitement in Blaine’s face.

“Can I? Please?”

“Sure, that’s why I suggested it,” Kurt said and led the boy to his bathroom. “Here is your sponge. Use any shower gel, shampoo and conditioner you want. I have a few of different smells. And you can shave with this razor… What else? Oh right, I’ll find you a towel.”

He turned on the water to fill in the bath and went to find a big towel. When he came back he found Blaine standing in nothing but his underwear with his pyjamas neatly folded on the toilet seat. Once again the boy was shocked to see how thin and bony the slave was.

Trying not to stare at Blaine’s body, Kurt gave him the towel. “Here you go. I have to go downstairs now. Make sure the temperature of the water is nice, okay? If you need, turn up hot or cold water. Oh,” he suddenly remembered something and found some balm. “This is an aftershave balm, it has this cooling effect so it’s great. At least that’s what my dad says because I don’t need to shave yet… So, anyway, stay as long as you want and just enjoy your bath.”

“Thank you,” Blaine said and Kurt left him be, hoping everything would be alright.

When the boy left his room, he was surprised to see Puck waiting for him by the stairs. “Why aren’t you with your friends?” he asked.

“Just wanted to talk to you first. I talked to Blaine and the bottom line is he is scared. He is scared of you and of papa Hummel even though he wants to trust you both… He’s scared of staying but also scared of leaving. Basically he is a ball of conflicted feelings.”

“What about him being like a slave?” Kurt pretended not to have heard their conversation.

“If a slaves acts out, he is punished. I’m sure you know that,” Puck grimaced. “He isn’t sure what’s going to happen if he isn’t slave-like with you and he doesn’t want to risk it.”

“I won’t punish him for being himself! I won’t punish him for anything! Fuck, how do I get him to believe me?” Kurt felt himself getting more and more desperate.

“Fear not, Mike will help you. Now, we have an important meeting to attend,” Puck said and they went downstairs.

When the two of them entered the living room Kurt saw the noisy group of teenagers comfortably sitting all around the room. The blonde girl was sitting in the dark-haired girl’s lap on an armchair. The Asian couple – Mike and Tina – were snuggling on the couch. And the big girl with large glasses was sitting on a simple wooden chair with her arms crossed over her chest.

Puck went straight to that girl and leaned in for a kiss, which surprised Kurt but not as much as the girl’s response.

“You know the rules, Puckerman,” she said, pushing Puck away with her hand, “no PDA. I can’t be publicly seen with someone like you; it ruins my reputation.”

“Sorry,” Puck smiled at her and Kurt raised one eyebrow at the exchange but it was unnoticed by the boy. “So, you are probably wondering why I gathered you all here today.”

“Not really,” the dark-haired girl retorted.

Kurt sat down next to Mike, who made some space for him. Puck stayed standing.

“Whatever, satan. You are here because we all have a mutual enemy.”

“Which is…?” Mike questioned him.

“The one and only Finn Hudson.”

The blonde girl frowned at him. “Is this about the hairless yeti that outed Santana? Are we sending it back where it came from?“

“I wish we could,” the girl – Satan? – rolled her eyes.

Kurt wondered what the others had against Finn but before he could ask, Puck spoke again. “Let me introduce all of you to princess since he is new here. Next to you is Mike ‘happy feet’ Chang. He is very smart so he is here to be the brain of our mission. Next to him is his girlfriend Tina ‘no nickname yet’ Cohen-Chang. She is very quiet, which means she hears and knows everything. The blonde one is Brittany ‘Einstein’ Pierce. Don’t let her fool you with her crazy remarks. She just pretends to be like that because then people aren’t careful of what they say when she is near them. Then, crushed by Brittany is Santana ‘satan’ Lopez. Real bitch and takes it as a compliment. She can get anyone do what she wants. Last but not least, is my girlfriend Lauren ‘give me a nickname and I will castrate you’ Zizes. Mad photoshop skills. And she might have the whole school bugged but it hasn’t been confirmed yet.”

“And what’s so special about princess here?” Santana asked.

“Kurt ‘princess’ Hummel has perfect connections,” Puck smirked. “Papa Hummel is dating Mrs Hudson.”

“She’s a good match,” Mike whispered to Kurt. “I’ve met her on many occasions and she is always very nice.”

“I met her only once but I liked her as well,” Kurt smiled. “I don’t like her son though.”

“Join the party,” Tina scoffed. “He’s always making fun of my stutter in front of everyone.”

Kurt looked at her confused. “But you aren’t stuttering…”

The girl shrugged. “I used to. After I got over it I started faking it at school.”

Since she didn’t elaborate about the reasons why, Kurt decided not to ask. He already knew that Finn was a bully but he couldn’t understand why he chose to pick on Tina, who always seemed so sweet in class. On the other hand, he couldn’t see why someone could want to hurt Blaine either.

“What has Hudson done to you, Puckerman?” Santana asked the boy when he sat down on the ground.

“His mere existence annoys me,” he responded vaguely and while everyone must have understood that there was a better reason, they decided to accept his explanation. “Now, we need to decide what to do…”

***

By the end of their plotting Kurt concluded that Puck had invited the best people for the job. They were full of ideas and the excitement in their eyes showed that they couldn’t wait to get back at the jock for whatever reasons that they had. When they finalised their plan, Kurt felt happier than he had in the last few days.

“Hey, Kurt, could I get a glass of water?” Mike asked when everyone started chatting about some random stuff.

“Sure, I’ll get it for you,” Kurt smiled and went to the kitchen. He didn’t notice Mike following him. “Oh, you didn’t need to come here; I would have brought it to the living room.”

“It’s fine. I wanted to talk to you anyway,” the boy said and sat down on the kitchen chair. “Or should I say, you wanted to talk to me?”

“Puck told you?” Kurt gave him water and sat down in front of him.

“He said you had some slave problems?” he offered. “Though I’m not sure how I can help with that… I’m not fond of slavery.”

“It’s not what you think!” Kurt defended himself. “I kind of got a slave and he acts like a slave but I don’t want him to… I’m lost here.”

“Well, I guess I could help you with that,” Mike said after a moment. “Has Puck told you anything about me?”

Kurt shook his head and Mike pulled up the sleeve of his sweater from his right arm. An angry black tattoo surrounded Mike’s wrist.

“You are a slave,” Kurt managed staring at the sign of slavery.

“I am,” Mike nodded. “It happened a few years ago. The Asian community in Lima is very small so of course Tina’s family and mine were close. We basically grew up together. When I was thirteen my parents died in a car accident and since I didn’t have any close family I was marked as a slave no matter how hard Tina’s parents fought for the custody. In the end, they bought me and gave me to Tina. She is my owner now.”

Kurt sat there stunned by the story. Mike and Tina seemed like a normal couple. At the first sight he thought they were simply dating.

“Wow, I’m sorry it happened to you… It must have been really hard.”

“It was but thankfully Tina and her parents were there for me,” Mike smiled and covered his slave tattoo. “Most of the time I don’t feel like a slave, you know. It’s as if I’ve moved in with my girlfriend. I’m the lucky one.”

“At least you can see a bright side in that. Most people wouldn’t,” Kurt smiled as well. “Though, I’m not sure how you can help me if you haven’t _really_ been a slave. I mean, Tina’s family doesn’t treat you like one, do they?”

Mike shook his head. “They don’t but it doesn’t mean I haven’t been treated like one. How do you think I know Mrs Hudson? She is my vet. And I’ve been a slave inside so I can give you some advice. For example, you could try giving your slave rules. They helped me.”

Kurt frowned. “What do you mean? I thought Tina’s parents bought you right away.”

“They are my first owners, yes, but I was still sent to the training centre before the auction. I didn’t spend much time there but they fuck with your head so much that by the end of it you go into this slave-mode and believe whatever shit they tell you. You know, if you spend a few weeks being treated like nothing, you begin to feel like nothing. Tina set me rules like when to wake up, what to do with my day. You know, watch TV, read books, dance… Something I used to like doing as a free person. Little by little I became myself again.

“If you get to know what this person that lives with you likes to do, you can order him to do that. He will enjoy himself and having the same routine that he used to have before slavery may help to get him out of his shell. Unless he was born in slavery or taken very young. Then I’m not sure… But still try the rules.”

Kurt sat silently for a moment. “It sounds smart and all but it doesn’t feel right to order him, you know? He is the one who is supposed to make his own decisions. Aren’t I taking away his freedom by telling him what to do? I keep telling him he is a free person here so if I suddenly give him a list of things he _must_ do, won’t it ruin the whole freedom thing?”

“Maybe in the beginning it will but in the long-run it’s for the best. He must be lost right now, he has no idea what you expect from him. There are some crazy slave owners out there. Some tell their slaves to do all kind of sick stuff like licking their shoes or wiping their asses. Right now your friend has no idea what kind of owner you are. But if you give him rules like ‘sleep as long as you want in the morning’ or ‘read a chapter of a book’, or ‘eat at least one fruit a day’ he will see that you aren’t as scary as you may seem right now. And also let him know of the punishments. Make a short list of those as well.”

“No way! I’m not punishing him!” Kurt shouted angrily.

“Calm down’ Kurt,” Mike downed the rest of the water. “For example, if he doesn’t read his daily chapter, his punishment would be to read two the next day. It wouldn’t really be a punishment if he likes reading, right? But for his slave-persona it is a punishment. If you play it smart, you can treat him like a slave without treating him like a slave.”

Kurt nodded slowly. “I think I understand what you are saying… Sorry for the outburst. It’s just a really sensitive topic for me.”

“I get it. You are against slavery, aren’t you?” he asked and Kurt nodded. “I am as well but don’t feel bad for having a slave. Sometimes owning a person is the only way to help them.”

“I haven’t thought about it that way,” Kurt’s eyes got bigger.

“I’m a living example of that,” Mike smiled. “Now, Tina and I should get going. If you want I could give you my number? If you ever need an advice or something, you could always find me. And if you want, I could talk to your friend.”

“Yeah, I’d love that,” Kurt took out his phone. “I’m not sure about the meeting just yet, though. He doesn’t do well with strangers.”

“Completely understandable,” Mike nodded and typed in his number into Kurt’s phone. “Just know that the offer still stands.”

“Thanks,” Kurt smiled.

***

Everyone left after exchanging phone numbers with Kurt except for Lauren, who already knew his number. Kurt suspected Puck but from what he had heard about the girl, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she had stolen it from the school records.

Before going upstairs the boy put the vegetables to boil and checked the recipe to make sure he did everything correctly. It was the first time he made this dish so he had to follow the instructions closely.

When he was sure that all was done correctly he went to his bedroom to find Blaine coming out of the bathroom the same moment as he entered. They looked up at each other and Kurt’s jaw dropped in surprise.

The dirty hairy slave was gone. Instead there was a gorgeous young boy standing in front of him with only a towel on his waist. His face was clean and Kurt had to resist an urge to touch the skin that looked so soft. His hazel eyes stood out even more now that his long wet curls were styled back. He looked younger and much more handsome.

“I wasn’t sure what you wanted me to wear,” he said and lowered his eyes.

Kurt swallowed audibly and went to his closet. “I’ll find you a pair of clean pyjamas and underwear. You can’t wear the old ones anymore.”

“Thank you,” Blaine said and touched his soft cheek absentmindedly. Judging by the look that he was sporting lately, it must have been a while since the last time he had shaved.

Kurt found some nice warm pyjamas and a pair of clean boxers and gave them to Blaine. “Put them on, please. Then I’ll cut your hair a little, okay? It can’t be comfortable.”

“Thank you,” the slave said and started putting on the clothes after Kurt turned away to give him privacy.

Soon Blaine was done and Kurt turned around to face him again. “After the haircut I’ll put some ointment on your bruises and then we will need to talk about the rules and punishments,” he said and saw Blaine freezing on the spot.

“Of course,” he whispered defeated.


	25. Chapter 25

**December 10, 2012**

Cutting Blaine’s hair proved to be harder than Kurt had anticipated since the slave boy’s curls made it difficult to cut at an even length especially for someone as inexperienced as the teenager was. In the end the boy’s hair was shorter than he would have liked them to be but it still made Blaine look much better.

“Thank you,” the slave muttered when Kurt finished his work and ran his fingers through his short curls.

“You are very welcome,” the boy smiled proudly at him. “Stay here until I finish cleaning up.”

He quickly took care of the hairs that were on the ground making sure not to leave any as they would get scattered all over the house and it wasn’t something he wanted to happen.

When he finished he found the ointment that his dad had bought for Blaine’s bruises. “Blaine, could you, please, take your pyjamas off and lie on the bed? I need to take care of your injuries.”

“Of course… Kurt,” he uttered and took off his clothes. “How do you want me to–”

“On your stomach first, please,” the boy asked and sat down next to Blaine when he lied down. “I’ll be gentle, don’t worry.”

He wasn’t sure why but the slave was tense the whole time he worked on his body. It might have been because of the touch that he didn’t willingly consent to or maybe because of the pain. He was finishing with a dark bruise on Blaine’s shin when another idea hit him – the boy might have been scared waiting for their conversation.

“I hope it didn’t hurt much,” Kurt said lightly when he finished. “Please, turn around.”

With no hesitation Blaine rolled over onto his back and closed his eyes waiting for Kurt’s careful fingers to touch him again.

“I’ll start with your face,” the boy explained. “It says this may be used around eyes but if you feel any irritation let me know, okay? I don’t want you hurting more than you already are…”

Blaine gave him a small nod and Kurt started to work again. The front of the slave’s body was more bruised especially his chest and stomach. Seeing it from so close as well as noticing the smallest frowns of discomfort on Blaine’s face made Kurt boil with anger. Only the idea of getting back at the person who caused all this kept him going.

“All done,” Kurt announced after a while and put the ointment aside. “Now, if that’s okay with you, put on your pyjamas and get under the blanket, okay?”

Blaine opened his eyes and after another nod went to put the clothes on. By the time he got back into the bed, Kurt was already sitting on it with his laptop on his knees.

“So, I need to give you some rules and then tell you what will happen if you don’t follow them,” he began and saw Blaine hugging his knees to his chest protectively. “Don’t be scared, I’ll be easy on you. Anyway, I have my laptop ready so I can type out your rules. That way you’ll be able to keep a printed copy of it where it’s comfortable for you and then you won’t forget anything. I will even make a table where you could put small crosses to make sure you remember what you have done. Does that sound okay for you?”

“Yes, thank you,” Blaine muttered and put his chin on his knees, making him look like a lost puppy whenever he looked up.

“Great! I thought of several things already but you can tell me if you don’t like any of the rules or if you find the punishments unfair. And when I finish I’ll let you add anything you want,” Kurt voiced his plan. “Let’s start with rule number one – I want you to choose a book from my collection and read at least one chapter a day. When you finish the first book, you will get to choose another one. And if you fail to read one chapter I will ask you to read two the following day. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Blaine answered, his face unreadable.

Kurt finished typing it out. “Okay. Next rule is to watch at least two episodes of _Friends_ every day. I will give you my box set and show you how to use the TV so you can watch it without my help. It’s an amazing comedy series so I hope you enjoy it. If you don’t, just let me know and I’ll give you something else to watch.”

“Thank you,” Blaine said when Kurt stopped talking. “And the punishment?”

“Watching four episodes the next day. Basically you will have to add up the amount. It’s the same with books – if you don’t read for two days, on the third day you will have three chapters to read, and if you don’t watch _Friends_ for two days, on the third day you will have six episodes. Is that clear?”

Blaine nodded and Kurt tried to remember another rule.

“Um, I’ll add ‘keeping your room tidy’ as a rule though it’s an obvious one,” Kurt said with a smile and started typing. “The punishment would be living in an untidy room.”

The slave raised his head a little and Kurt saw him frowning. “My room?” he asked looking straight at Kurt for once.

“Yes, I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it already but when my dad comes back from work we will set our guest room for you. For as long as you are here it will be your bedroom,” he explained. “I’ll let you choose the colour of the curtains, the bedding, and all. It will be your little sanctuary and everyone will have to knock before coming in. In return my dad and I will ask you to keep it clean.”

“Of course,” Blaine spoke and lowered his head on his knees again, going back to staring into the distance.

“Thanks. Since we are talking about cleaning, you will have to wash your own dishes after you eat. If you don’t, next time you will have to wash everyone’s dishes. It’s kind of been our family rule for a while unless someone volunteers to do the washing up.

“Then laundry… I’m the one doing laundry, it’s a strict rule. I will only ask you to put your used clothes in the laundry basket. If you don’t, you will end up wearing dirty clothes so it will be an incentive for you to follow this rule.

“I also want you to get a decent amount of sleep. At least seven hours… I think that’s a healthy amount. It’s up to you when to go to bed and when to get up, just make sure you sleep enough, if you don’t you will have to take a nap the next day. Is it all alright with you?”

Blaine nodded, taking in the information, which was obviously confusing to him.

“Okay. Later on I will need you to give me a list of things and foods that you are allergic to so we can avoid any accidents. After that I will make sure not to use any bad products when I cook so you can eat everything I make. I will also tell my dad because he cooks sometimes as well. It’s not really a rule so I won’t put it in the list but it would be great if you ate with us unless you were still sleeping during our breakfast time.

“I will have one food related rule though. I want you to eat at least one fruit a day because they are really healthy, right? And if you don’t, the next morning you will get a fruit salad for breakfast. Of course, you can always have fruit salad but it would be compulsory on that day.

“Are you still following me?”

“Yes,” Blaine said somewhat strained.

“Let’s move on then…” he said and stayed silent for a few moments. “Aha! Newspapers! My dad already subscribed to one of American newspapers so when we start getting them, I will ask you to read them. If you don’t, the next day you will have to read the old news _and_ the new ones. Maybe by the end of each day you could come to me and give me a short summary of what you have read. Oh, and same with books, okay?”

Blaine nodded and Kurt typed the information about the newspapers into his laptop.

“Now, on a bit of a more personal side… When we met what surprised me the most was how you viewed the world. You once told me that I was too focused on the bad things and I kind of miss that guy. I’d like to see him more often so maybe every day you could tell me one thing you are happy about? Something you like about your life or world in general?”

“Okay,” the slave boy muttered, his lips set in a straight line.

“You know, you can tell me if you don’t like any of the rules, right? Let’s make it a rule – you are to speak freely. You can voice your opinions, suggestions, anything without being afraid of punishments. I won’t even put a punishment for this. If you don’t feel like speaking openly, then don’t, but it’s kind of a rule so maybe do that?” Kurt suggested, stopping himself in time before he started confusing the other boy even more. “Or, you know, scratch that, I want you to talk to us. If I see you holding out I will ask you to sing a verse of any song. Yeah, so, please, talk to us about whatever you want.”

Blaine’s eyes widened at his words but Kurt’s eyes were locked on the screen so he didn’t see it.

“Other than that… My dad and I will want you to join our family activities. Like watching football or a movie? Those are usual fun. There is no punishment for that since it’s more like an invitation than a rule,” he said with a smile, happy with how the list shaped out to be. “I think I’m done… You may do anything you want with your free time. If you want something like video games, just ask.”

“That’s it?” Blaine asked timidly, looking up at Kurt with his big hazel eyes.

“For now it’s all I can think of,” the teen said and read the list again. “I will leave some space so I can add more later on if I think of something. Or if my dad wants to add anything. Before I ask you to do that, I want to know, are you okay with all the rules and punishments?”

Blaine hesitated for a moment but not wanting to break one of the rules so early on, spoke up. “Are these serious?”

Kurt tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“These rules are… weird,” Blaine uttered, tensing even more as if waiting for a blow.

“They might be weird, but those are my rules,” Kurt smiled at him and extended his laptop to Blaine. “Look through the list again and if you want you can add or change anything.”

The slave boy lowered his knees and Kurt put the laptop on them. Kurt was about to ask him if he knew how to use it when he saw Blaine scrolling down the list.

_Rule: 1 chapter of a book_

_Punishment: 2 chapters of a book the next day_

_Rule: 2 episodes of_ Friends

 _Punishment: 4 episodes of_ Friends _the next day_

_Rule: Keep your room tidy_

_Punishment: Living in an untidy room_

_Rule: Wash your dishes_

_Punishment: Wash everyone’s dishes the next time_

_Rule: Put dirty clothes into the laundry basket_

_Punishment: Wearing dirty clothes until the next laundry day_

_Rule: Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night_

_Punishment: Take a nap the next day_

_Rule: Eat at least 1 fruit a day_

_Punishment: Fruit salad for breakfast the next morning_

_Rule: Read newspapers_

_Punishment: Read both new and old newspapers_

_Rule: 1 thing you are happy about_

_Punishment: 2 things you are happy about the next day_

_Rule: Talk freely_

_Punishment: Sing a verse of any song_

_Rule: Join us for family activities_

_Punishment: –_

_Rule: Do whatever you want with your free time_

_Punishment: –_

Kurt saw the moment Blaine stopped reading and the boy was obviously contemplating something.

“You can change or add anything you like. Just put it in a different colour or something,” Kurt encouraged him and smiled when the boy started typing something.

When he finished Blaine gave him his laptop back and he saw a few more lines added at the bottom.

_Rule: Don’t break anything_

_Punishment: 5 spanks with a belt buckle_

_Rule: Clean the house_

_Punishment: No food for 2 days_

_Rule: Sort out the mail_

_Punishment: Kneeling in the corner for an hour_

_Rule: Don’t talk back_

_Punishment: 3 slaps on the face_

_Rule: Follow all direct orders immediately_

_Punishment: Sleeping in the backyard_


	26. Chapter 26

**December 10, 2012**

Kurt stared at the angry red words, hoping that maybe if he looked at them for long enough they would transform into something else, something less cruel. It didn‘t though and the teen was left with his jaw hanging open, not able to form any words.

It took him a while to overcome his shock and finally be able to speak. “No,” he simply uttered. “No, absolutely not! Neither my dad nor I are ever going to agree to this.”

Blaine was startled by Kurt’s loud response but spoke through his fear. “I’m sorry, you told me to speak freely and add my rules. These are my rules. I’m sorry if they don’t please you, Sir.”

“Not a sir,” Kurt mumbled and looked through the list again. “You expect me to make you sleep outside when I did whatever was in my power to get you off the streets? And starving you for not cleaning the house? What kind of bullshit is that? Do you really think _I_ could do that? Or my dad?”

The slave boy shrugged but said nothing, too interested in the hem of his pyjamas sleeve, careful not to meet Kurt’s eyes.

Kurt sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, trying hard to think of a good solution to the situation. Blaine must have added those rules for a reason but what could be that reason?

_Think, Hummel, think!_

Nothing came to him and he was left helplessly staring at the list. The rules would have been sort of fine if it wasn’t for the punishments set up for breaking them. On the other hand, a few of them would be hard to break. They didn’t get much mail so it would be an easy task for Blaine. If the boy stayed with them, at some point they would have asked him to participate in the Saturday cleaning anyway. He wasn’t sure about the others.

“Wait here,” he said to the slave boy and ran to his dad’s bedroom with his phone in hand. There he dialled Mike’s number and waited for him to pick up.

“Hey, Kurt, what’s up?” the Asian boy’s voice came from the other end.

“Hey, Mike, I’m sorry if I’m interrupting anything–”

“You aren’t,” Mike cut in quickly. “I was just doing Tina’s homework. I mean, mine. I mean… I do the same homework as Tina and when she brings hers corrected I correct my mistakes. This is how I study. That’s what I meant by ‘doing Tina’s homework’.”

Kurt chuckled. “You don’t need to explain yourself to me.”

“I kind of do. I don’t want you to think that I’m treated as a free person in front of other people but inside the house I’m a slave. Just wanted to make sure we were clear.”

“Yeah, no worries, I understand,” Kurt assured him, sensing that it was a sensitive spot for the boy.

“Great. So, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Kurt sat down on his dad’s bed. “It’s my friend. I followed your advice and gave him some rules. Reading, sleeping, eating fruits… Normal ones, you know? Then I gave the list to him to add whatever he wanted and he wrote stuff like spanking him with a belt buckle or making him sleep in the backyard. I told him to speak freely and he did so now I’m torn. If I don’t leave his rules then he will think that speaking freely is a useless thing. If I change the punishments it’s like I don’t value his opinion. If I leave them as they are and he breaks any of those rules I will have to punish him but I can’t! Please, tell me what to do!”

“Okay, give me a second,” Mike said and was silent for a little while. “So, I think your friend added those rules because they are familiar to him. Someone must have treated him like that already. In that case, those are the only rules he knows – real slave rules. Your rules seems silly to him. He probably doesn’t trust you so he sees your rules as a test. Maybe he thinks they are fake and you are just not giving him the real list and when he breaks one of the ‘real’ rules, you will show him another list and punish him accordingly. That’s why he added his own rules and punishments – so you don’t catch him off guard. That’s my speculation.”

Kurt growled in frustration and rubbed his tired eyes with the back of his free hand. “It makes sense but it doesn’t tell me what to do… I can’t starve him for not cleaning the house. I just can’t.”

“I know and maybe you won’t have to. If these are the rules he is familiar with, he must be familiar with the punishments as well. I’m sure he will do his best to avoid getting punished,” Mike offered calmly. “And if he does, just don’t punish him that way. Choose another punishment and tell him you find it more appropriate for the situation. Let him believe that his rules are real but don’t follow them.”

Kurt contemplated his words for a moment. “I will always be grateful to Noah for introducing us. I would be lost without you.”

“You just needed some guidance. I’m sure you would have found some advice online though it’s nice to be appreciated,” Mike laughed and Kurt could hear a faint voice coming from the phone. “I’m sorry, Kurt, Tina’s mom needs some help in the kitchen. Call me or text me later if you need anything.”

“Thanks a lot, really,” Kurt said and they both bid their goodbyes.

When Kurt went back into his bedroom he found Blaine in the same position as if he hadn’t moved at all. He sat down on the bed and looked at the slave boy.

“Okay, I thought about it and I agree to add your rules to the list if it makes you feel better,” he said and saved the document. “You can cross them out whenever you want without talking to me about that. It’s your rules so you may take them off the list at any time. Is that okay with you?”

Blaine nodded immediately. “Thank you. May I add anything later on?”

“Of course,” Kurt gave him a strained smile. He was happy that the slave was asking questions but he knew what kind of rules those would be and he really didn’t want to deal with them. “I will print out the list and put it in a well visible place… The fridge maybe? We have this awesome pen magnet so you could cross out what you have done.”

“Thank you,” Blaine said when Kurt hit the print button and looked at his clock. “May I have _Friends_ now?”

Kurt went to the printer and took a warm paper with a neat table. “You don’t have to start with the rules right now. You are still very sick and I want you to relax and get better.”

“Please, I want to start today,” the slave asked with a little desperation in his voice.

“I– Are you sure you are up for it? I don’t want you to get worse.”

“I can read and watch _Friends_ in bed, Kurt,” Blaine assured him. “I can do whatever you want me to. Please.”

Kurt stared at him conflicted but since it seemed important to the boy, he decided to give him what he wanted. “Alright, I’ll give you my box set after dinner. Dinner! Fuck!” he cursed and ran out of the room, leaving Blaine in bed confused.

When he got to the kitchen he was glad to find it in a perfect condition. He had expected to see and smell smoke but luckily the stew was cooking just fine no matter how long he took upstairs.

The boy was adding the last touches to the dish when the front door opened and his dad walked in. Minutes later he appeared in the kitchen tempted by the smell.

“Um, something smells good,” Burt said and dropped on the chair.

“Hopefully it tastes just as good,” Kurt said and set up the table. “Before I ask Blaine to come downstairs I need to talk to you. A friend of mine has a slave so I talked to him – Mike – and he gave me one advice on how to get Blaine to go back to himself. He said we should try setting some rules for him.”

“Rules?” the man asked sceptically.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Kurt hurried to tell his dad before he freaked out. “Something silly like eating one fruit a day and if he doesn’t he would have to eat a fruit salad for breakfast. Mike said it will get Blaine into some sort of a routine and he will know what is expected of him so he should start relaxing around us.”

Burt gave him a knowing look. “So why do you look so worried?”

Kurt sighed. “I let Blaine add his own rules and he added some ridiculous punishments. You will see… Mike told me to keep them as they are but if Blaine breaks them we shouldn’t punish him in his way.”

“How bad are those punishments?”

“Really bad…”

“And why do you trust this Mike to know what to do?” Burt asked eyeing Kurt.

“He is a slave but he isn’t really,” the boy explained. “He was bought by his friend’s parents so they got him to go back to normal after training. This is what they did and Mike thinks that the same approach may be useful for Blaine too. I’m willing to try it since we don’t have any better ideas.”

“Okay… But if we see that it isn’t working–”

“We will stop with the rules, I promise. Trust me, I want Blaine to get better.”

“Talking of which, how is he doing physically?”

“Still coughing and I think he is getting a runny nose. I haven’t checked his temperature for a while but he looked better after he took a nap. If his cold doesn’t turn into anything nasty, he should get better soon,” Kurt explained hoping that his words would come true.

“Good to know,” Burt said and stood up. “I’ll go get ready for dinner. Go bring Blaine and that list, I want to look through it.”

They both went upstairs and when Kurt came back with Blaine, Burt still wasn’t there. The man descended the stairs right on time when Kurt filled three bowls of vegetable stew. He had put all easily stomached ingredients so he hoped that Blaine would feel fine afterwards.

Burt walked into the kitchen and looked taken aback when he saw Blaine. “Looking sharp, kiddo,” he said and joined the boys at the table. “Has Kurt been treating you right?”

“Yes, Mr Hummel, your son was very nice to me,” Blaine spoke looking at his bowl.

“Good to know. Let’s eat, shall we?” the man took his spoon and they started eating.

Halfway through the meal Kurt noticed that Blaine was having some difficulties eating. “You don’t have to finish if you don’t feel like it,” he said.

Blaine put his spoon back into the bowl. “Thank you. May I finish it later?”

“Anytime,” Kurt answered. “Just let me know and I will heat it up for you.”

Burt, who had originally planned to save the conversation until after dinner, decided to talk to Blaine since it was obvious that the boy would be better off in bed. “So, Kurt tells me you two have made up a list of rules for you, Blaine. I was thinking of adding a few of my own. Is that alright with you?”

“Of course, Mr Hummel,” the slave boy said, his face paling a little.

Kurt gave his dad the list and Burt looked through it, disgust visible in his face when he reached the end of it. “I’m not fond of the last punishments but if that’s what you want, kid, I will respect that. I will only ask you to not go outside. It’s a safety precaution so that nobody sees you but let’s make it a rule, okay? As well as you staying upstairs when someone comes over. We can’t risk anyone seeing you.”

“I understand, Mr Hummel, I won’t do that, I promise,” Blaine spoke quickly.

“Good to know, good to know… There is no punishment for breaking my rules, I’m just asking you as an adult from an adult.”

“I’ll write them down to make it official,” Kurt told them and added Burt’s rules onto the list that he then put on the fridge with magnets. “Blaine and I decided to put the list here. He will mark everything he has done on it so we can all keep the track of it.”

“That’s a good idea,” Burt agreed and finished eating.

“I’ll clean the dishes, I see you are tired,” Kurt said and Burt left after thanking him.

When he was far enough Blaine stood up and went to the fridge. He took the pen magnet and turned to face Kurt. “I’m happy that you allowed me to take a bath,” he said and put a small cross next to one of the rules.

Kurt gave him a soft smile and started washing the bowls. “You can take a bath or a shower whenever you want.”

***

**December 11, 2012**

Sleeping alone in his bed was kind of weird for Kurt. When Blaine went to the guest room for the night his room felt too empty. He hadn’t had the slave boy there for a long time but it already felt like it was missing something. Not to mention that he could hardly fall asleep worrying if the other boy was alright.

When he finally woke up early in the morning the first thing Kurt did was going to check on Blaine. He almost collided with him just like the first time they met because the slave was standing in the dark corridor.

“Good morning,” he said in a low voice, rough from the cold.

“Morning,” Kurt greeted him. “Why are you out of bed? You need to rest.”

“I got my seven hours of sleep already.”

“This doesn’t apply right now,” the teen explained and led Blaine back into the guest room. “You are sick and you will be getting as much sleep as your body needs.”

Without arguing Blaine went back to bed and Kurt got ready to face yet another intense day.

***

In the end it was as bad as he had expected. His day consisted of homework and helping out Blaine with following his rules. He had explained to the curly-haired boy that cleaning was scheduled for Saturday in their household and that they didn’t get much mail so there was no need to worry about that. The slave boy mostly read, watched _Friends_ , ate, and slept.

At the time the school ended the doorbell rang and Kurt ran to open the door. Puck had promised to get his assignments for him every day so that he didn’t fall behind. His teachers let him submit his work online so he would only have to make up for the tests that he would miss. It was a pretty good deal.

“Hey, princess,” the boy greeted him with a smirk. “How are you doing this fine cold day?”

“Homework, homework, and more homework,” Kurt rolled his eyes and let the boy in. “Thanks for bringing me more.”

“What are acquaintances for?” Puck sniggered and took off his jacket. “Can I get some water? Got thirsty seeing your handsome face.”

“Careful. I know Lauren’s number and I can always tell her what kind of player you are,” Kurt threatened him and they both went into the kitchen.

While Kurt filled the glass of water, he informed Puck of Blaine’s condition. The other boy said nothing though and the teenager turned around to see if the mohawked boy was alright. What he didn’t expect was to feel a punch to his stomach and be thrown onto the ground.

“Fucking monster!” Puck yelled and raised him by his t-shirt. “I fucking trusted you! I can’t believe I fell for your act!”

Kurt tried to catch his breath when his body was thrown onto the table and slid down onto the ground.

“Sadistic jerk! How could you do this to Blaine?!” Puck shouted and drew closer.

“What are you talking about?” Kurt cried out and felt the other teenager’s hand grip his hair. When he opened his eyes, the list from the fridge was in front of his eyes.

“What the hell is this, huh?”

“Mike told me–”

Puck released Kurt’s head and it hit the floor. “Don’t go blaming Mike for what you did. I doubt he suggested you fucking beat Blaine with a belt!”

“No, it’s Blaine, he wrote it!” Kurt choked out. “Mike suggested the rules. Mine are in black, my dad’s are in a blue pen, and the red ones are Blaine’s.”

Kurt got onto his knees and checked if his nose wasn’t bleeding while Puck looked through the list. “You want me to believe that Blaine wants to be treated like that?”

“Just ask Mike,” Kurt panted, retreating further from Puck and resting his back on the wall. “Call him and ask what we talked about yesterday. Or just ask Blaine. He’s upstairs.”

“I’ll do that,” Puck said and ran upstairs, leaving Kurt alone to try and comprehend what had just happened.

The teenager decided to give the boys some privacy and stayed in the kitchen until Puck was done talking to Blaine. When he came back, a guilty look was plastered on his face.

“Fuck, princess, I’m so sorry for–”

“Can you just leave? Please?” Kurt asked with his eyes closed.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll leave you your assignments on the stairs. Just know that I’m really very sorry,” Puck said and soon he left.

Kurt took a few calming breaths and thought over the encounter. He knew that if it had been with somebody else, it would have ended up differently but it was Puck so he expected nothing else from the delinquent. He knew that violence was never an answer but he could see where the boy was coming from. Just before bed he sent Puck a text.

 _Kurt_ : I forgive you but you owe me one. Big one.

***

**December 13, 2012**

The next couple of days followed the same pattern – Kurt did his homework and Blaine made sure to do everything on his list. He succeeded every day until one time he broke one rule.

The two of them were finishing up making lunch and since Kurt started too late, he asked Blaine to help him out. Everything was fine until Kurt found himself with way too much on his hands.

“Blaine, could you, please, peel the potatoes?” he asked the boy, who was cutting carrots at that time.

“Can’t you do it yourself?” Blaine spoke before thinking.

Silence fell over them and the slave boy looked at Kurt with wide fearful eyes.

“I’m sorry! Please, I’m sorry!” he freaked out. “Please!”

“It’s okay, Blaine, calm down,” the teen said gently. “I’m not going to punish you. You’re okay.”

“But you have to!” Blaine said looking at the list. “I talked back at you. I deserve to be punished!” Kurt looked at the list to see ‘3 slaps on the face’ written as a punishment for talking back. He played Mike’s words in his head and inhaled deeply.

“Fine,” he said and closed the gap between them.

Blaine closed his eyes tight and waited for the blow. Kurt saw him jump a little when his hand touched his check gently. The slave’s eyes opened in surprise as the teenager continued to stroke his cheek three times as gently as he could.

“Listen to me,” Kurt said stilling his hand on the boy’s face. “I will _never_ hurt you. Punishment or not, I will never lay a hand on you. Do you understand that?”

Blaine nodded and Kurt took a few steps back. He was about to go back to work when the slave boy took a plate from the kitchen table, held it for a second, and smashed it onto the ground with as much force as his weak body had.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Kurt shouted in surprise.

“Get your belt ready, Kurt,” Blaine said, hardly controlling his voice.

“What?” Kurt frowned and looked at the fridge. “Are you _testing_ me?”

“I broke two rules. Fucking punish me already!” the slave yelled.

Kurt crossed his arms over his chest and held Blaine’s gaze. “You are my friend and I don’t hurt my friends.”

Blaine held out his right arm and pointed at his tattoo. “I’m a _slave_. Slaves are supposed to be hurt.”

“You are not a slave to me. The way I see it you are my friend who is staying with us. I don’t care about your wrist.”

“Well, I care! Stop fooling yourself because I’m not your friend, I’m not just staying here for a little while. This,” he held out his arm again, “means that I’m a _slave_ and I will always be one. So stop playing ‘House’ and start treating me like one!”

With each word Kurt grew angrier and angrier, feeling the bottled up emotions coming out. “You know, you are not the only one, who can shout! Yes, you have a fucking tattoo on your wrist and in other people’s eyes you may be a slave but I never treated you like one so how about _you_ stop pretending that I’m your master and start being my fucking friend? Because I have been nothing but nice to you since the moment we met!”

“Well, maybe I don’t want to be your friend!” Blaine snapped. “Once a slave, always a slave, Kurt, don’t you get it? Stop putting these nice ideas in my head because someone will soon find out about me, your dad will go to prison, and you will hate me forever. And me? I will be out on the streets again, back to being a slave. That’s reality!”

“You don’t know what’s going to happen in the future!” Kurt retorted.

“Oh please, I know better than you!” the slave boy laughed coldly. “I lived this life long enough to know what is going to happen. You are better off ending your charity project now.”

Kurt shook his head. “You are not a charity case to me. Think whatever you want but I do care for you!”

Blaine snorted at his words and crossed his arms over his chest just like Kurt. “Yeah right. Let me guess, you came here from France and I was the first slave you saw, wasn’t I? And you couldn’t sleep, your conscience telling you to do ‘noble’ things. Hence, all the gifts and such. You don’t care for _me_ , you only care about feeling like a good person.”

At that point Kurt had enough. “How dare you? I fucking saved your life and this is how you thank me?”

“Well, it’s not like I asked you to do that now, did I?” Blaine grimaced. “I would have been better off without you coming to my rescue.”

“You would have died!”

“Maybe I wanted to!” the slave shouted but his voice betrayed him and first tears appeared in his eyes.

“Don’t you fucking say that again!”

“Dying is better than this life anyway,” Blaine whispered looking at the ceiling, trying hard to not spill the tears but they ended up running down his face anyway. “I will never get to finish high school or go to college, or get a boyfriend. I will never live in a little house with a white fence or get a job. That kind of future had been taken away from me long ago and I accepted that. And now you think you have a right to give me false hope. Please, don’t do that to me…”

By the end of his speech Blaine was fully sobbing, every word taking more and more willpower to be said. Without a second thought Kurt took a few steps forward, avoiding the pieces of the plate lying around, and wrapped his arms around the other boy. It took a few moments but soon he felt Blaine relax in his arms and tears started to moisten his t-shirt.

“Let it out, let it out…” Kurt said rubbing his one hand over the boy’s back and the other one over his head until his sobs subsided. “You will get it one day. The world will change and this black ink under your skin will mean nothing. You will get your school diploma, graduate from college with a degree you always wanted. You will meet someone and start a life with him. You will live in a perfect suburban house with a cute white fence and maybe you will even have a dog.”

“A cat,” Blaine cried out. “I don’t like dogs.”

Kurt smiled a little at that. “Okay, a cat. And you and your boyfriend will keep arguing which one of you will have to take care of its litter box.”

“He will have to do it,” the slave sniffled.

“Well, he will argue but in the end he will. Because you will be too busy…”

“…playing guitar to our cat.”

Kurt laughed and made a mental note about Blaine playing guitar. “Yeah, and your cat will meow the lyrics. Do you know what song you will play?”

Kurt felt Blaine shaking his head into his neck. “Something pretty. Maybe I will teach my cat how to sing a lullaby… Can I have kids in my future?”

“If you want to. Maybe a little girl and a little boy?”

Blaine nodded. “A boy first because then he would always defend his younger sister. They will be best friends.”

Kurt let his own tears run down his face and whispered, “You will have all that one day, I promise. Just hang in there for a bit longer.”

Blaine squeezed Kurt’s waist harder to show that he got his message. After a few moments of silence he spoke again. “Kurt?”

“Yeah?” the teen asked dreamily, content to have Blaine in his arms.

“I really need to blow my nose,” Blaine said and from his voice Kurt could guess that the other boy was smiling.


	27. Chapter 27

**December 13, 2012**

Kurt released Blaine from his grip with a laugh. “Way to ruin a moment, Blaine,” he choked out and wiped his tears.

“I’m sorry but I don’t think you would appreciate some snot on your clothes,” the other boy responded with a wary smile, tensing again now that they were in front of each other.

“You are right, I wouldn’t want _that_ ,” the teen said and carefully went to the kitchen counter to get some paper towel for Blaine. “Here, you can use this.”

“Thank you,” the slave boy said and took the paper towel. After drying off his face he blew his nose forcefully and when he lifted the wet paper they both saw blood on it. “Oh…”

“Shit,” Kurt cursed, grabbed more paper towel, and seconds later was by Blaine’s side. “Cover your nose and I will get something cold.”

Blaine took the paper towel from Kurt and placed it by his left nostril from which the blood was flowing. He stood there with his head tilted back waiting until the teen came back with a single ice cube.

“Let’s get you to the living room, it will be more comfortable,” Kurt said and Blaine was about to take the first step when he realised something. “Stop! I totally forgot the shatters…”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I’ll clean them,” Blaine said and lowered his head just to feel dizziness.

“Tilt your head back and stay here,” Kurt instructed and went to collect the big pieces of the plate, only taking the ones that were in Blaine’s way since the others could wait until he was done treating the slave’s nose.

“I’m really sorry, Kurt,” the boy spoke again, following Kurt’s instructions no matter how much his body ached to go and help him. “I’m sorry for breaking your plate and yelling at you, and causing all this trouble, and–”

“You have nothing to apologise for,” Kurt said and went to throw away the pieces. “This plate was really distasteful so no harm in getting rid of it. I didn’t mind being yelled at by you because I was starting to think you were a robot so it was nice to see some emotions from you for a change. I mean, I wouldn’t want it to happen all the time but I know from experience that bottling things up can be destructive. And honestly, you are not causing any trouble. We love having you here.”

“You spent so much money on medicine for me and you have to miss school–”

Kurt took Blaine’s hand and walked him to the living room. “Those pills didn’t cost much and Noah brings my assignments for me every day. It’s not like I enjoy going to school anyway…”

“I miss school,” the curly-haired boy said when Kurt helped him to sit down on the couch. He hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “Puck lent me his textbooks and I read them. In a place where I lived there were some tables and I pretended I was at school and a teacher told me to read out loud or solve a maths problem. I miss it, being a student...”

“I’m so sorry this happened to you,” Kurt said, another tear escaping his eyes. “It’s so unfair…”

“It could be worse,” Blaine managed a small smile with his blood covered lips. “And some people do have it worse. And… I’m happy I met you.”

“You already told me what you were happy about this morning,” Kurt reminded him. After breakfast the boy told him he was happy to be able to fill up his stomach during every meal and put a small cross next to his rule.

Blaine shrugged and let Kurt swap the bloody paper towel with the new one. “Just felt like sharing. Don’t worry, I’m a good slave, I remember my rules.”

“No, no, no, not a slave, I’m sorry, I have no filter… I just… I didn’t mean it,” the teen tried to explain his stupid slip-up. He should have just thanked Blaine or told him he felt the same way but no, he just had to mention the rules…

“It’s okay, I was kind of joking,” the slave smiled.

“Oh, okay… Just know that I’m happy too, happy that we met,” he said somewhat awkwardly and pressed the melting ice cube on the bridge of Blaine’s nose. “This should help. Just keep your head up.”

“Thank you,” the boy said and closed his eyes revelling at the cold sensation, “for everything. What I said about dying… I didn’t really mean that. At least not right now.”

“Have you ever…” Kurt trailed off, unable to finish his thought.

Blaine blushed despite the fact that he was currently bleeding and stuttered, “I… um, we should… we should go back to making lunch. If your dad comes back there will be nothing for him to eat, it’s not good. Yeah, we should go.”

“Wait, no, I’m sorry for pushing you, you don’t have to tell me anything,” the teenager placed his free hand on Blaine’s shoulder to make sure the other boy didn’t move. “You are still bleeding, you shouldn’t be moving.”

“Um, yeah, sorry,” Blaine uttered and relaxed a little bit.

“Don’t apologise,” Kurt said gently wiping the water off Blaine’s nose and pressing the ice cube to his nose bridge again. “It’s me who should be apologising. I’m trying to help but honestly, I have no idea what I’m doing. I try to make things better but in the end I just ruin everything. Be patient with me, please?”

“I guess we need to be patient with each other then, huh?” Blaine said and checked the paper. “I think the bleeding is going to end soon,” he said and covered his nostril again.

“That’s great. Do you feel weak or dizzy, or anything?”

“No, I think I’m okay. I didn’t lose too much blood thanks to you,” he said and checked the paper again. “I think it stopped. I’ll go clean the kitchen.”

Blaine made a move to stand up but Kurt’s firm hold kept him on the couch. “No moving, mister. You need to lie down for a bit.”

“But, Kuuurt, I’ve been lying around for days now,” the boy whined, giving him big puppy eyes. “I want to help you more. And since I made that mess, I should go and clean it.”

“The bleeding has just stopped and if you keep your head down it will start again,” Kurt explained as he dried the last drops of water off Blaine’s face. “You lie down and I’ll go clean the kitchen and make us some sandwiches. It would take too long to make that soup now…”

“I’m sorry–”

“One day you will stop apologising for everything…” Kurt teased him and left the room.

He came back fifteen minutes later with a plate of sandwiches and one mug of tea. “I thought we could have lunch in the living room. Have you watched _Friends_ today?”

“I have,” Blaine said and sat up.

“Do you want to watch some more?”

“I’ve already watched two episodes.”

Kurt placed the plate and the mug on the table and sat down next to Blaine. “We can watch more together if you want. You can always watch more than two episodes a day, you know? Unless you don’t like it…”

“I love it!” the slave exclaimed and Kurt went to put the DVD in for them. “Do you want to start with the first episode?”

“Oh, no, I’ve watched _Friends_ hundreds of times, I can always star mid-season of any season,” Kurt said and came back. “Which was the last episode you watched?”

“Episode eight,” Blaine said and Kurt went straight to episode nine.

“Let’s eat,” the teen said and took a bite of a sandwich. “The tea is for you, by the way.”

“Is that necessary?” the boy bit his bottom lip.

“I’m not the one with a cold.”

Blaine pouted. “But my temperature was only ninety nine and a half… I’m almost healthy and these teas are driving me crazy.”

“We can talk about it after your temperature goes back to normal. Until then you will have to drink tea,” Kurt said, his words coming out a bit too harsh.

“I’m sorry, Sir,” Blaine flinched and grabbed the mug. “I won’t argue with you again.”

That was it. The teenager could feel he was about to explode. All the emotions he locked up inside for weeks came crashing down on him. The sadness of leaving his old life and friends. The uncertainty of moving and going to a new school. The conflicted feelings being friends with Rachel and Mercedes. The sympathy for Blaine after they first met. The self-hate when Puck pointed out he was not worth Blaine’s friendship. The panic when they went looking for the slave and when they found him barely alive. The tension waiting for him to wake up. The shock when the boy tried to jump out of the window. And most of all the fear of fucking up so bad that Blaine would want to leave. For a boy his age it was all too much.

“Fuck, I’m useless,” Kurt said and dropped his half eaten sandwich back onto the plate. “I can’t do a damn thing right!”

“Kurt?” Blaine looked at him fearfully.

The teen tilted his head up to stop his tears but it was in vain as they started running down his cheeks. “Why can’t I think before speaking for once? I know how you may take my words but still I go ahead and say some stupid things. I bet you hate me… I would hate myself if I were you!

“You know, you were right about me. You were the first stray slave I saw and I felt bad for you. I woke up in the middle of a night after a nightmare and went looking for you. But in the end you would have been better off without me because I’m just making everything worse.”

“No, Kurt–”

“And I kind of started feeling close to you. Whenever we met I liked you more and more and I thought we were sort of friends. I wanted, I still want to be friends but how could you ever want to be friends with me? I do nothing but scare you… And you said yourself that you don’t want to be my friend but look at me – still trying to force you to be my friend… How fucking selfish am I?”

“Kurt, you are not–”

“Of course I am! Here we are, sitting on this couch… You – a slave who lost everything in his life and almost lost his life a few days ago. Then there is me – a stupid boy who has freedom, father, food, house… And look who is fucking crying!”

Blaine reached out for Kurt but the other boy stood up before he could touch him. “I have loads of homework to do,” he cried out. “Please, eat your lunch and… you don’t have to drink the tea.”

With that Kurt left stunned Blaine alone and ran to his bedroom. There he collapsed on his bed in a foetal position and started sobbing into his pillow. It was less than a minute later that the door to his bedroom opened and he felt a body pressed to his back as Blaine spooned him from behind.

“I’m sorry, so sorry,” Kurt kept muttering even though neither of them knew why he was apologising.

Blaine said nothing, just held him and let him cry until there were no tears left in him. It felt good to let it out. Just like he had told Blaine, it was dangerous to bottle things up for a long time and it had been a few stressful days, weeks even, for him, for all of them. He was meant to break down at some point, he just hoped it would be at night when nobody was there to see, not in front of someone else, especially not in front of Blaine.

“You are my friend, Kurt, you are…” Blaine whispered and kissed the back of his neck.


	28. Chapter 28

**December 13, 2012**

“It tickles,” Kurt squirmed a little and Blaine eased his hold.

Having the slave’s arm around him gave Kurt a strange sense of safety. A tiny frame behind him, no matter how fragile, made him feel as if there was nothing that could hurt him as long as this lovely boy was there to protect him.

“I’m sorry,” the boy responded lightly with a smile that Kurt couldn’t see but could definitely hear.

“You are not,” the teen laughed and took Blaine’s hand in his own.

The slave squeezed his hand gently and spoke again. “I’m sorry it tickled you but I don’t regret doing it,” he explained.

“I liked it,” Kurt said. “Um, thank you… for coming here. You are good at cuddling.”

Blaine laughed at that and the boy could feel his breath on his neck. “My friends used to say that when I go to college I should major in hugs and cuddles. Apparently I was that good,” he said and his breathing hitched when he realised what he had just said.

Even after all the online research on slaves that Kurt had done before moving to the States he never pretended to understand what it was like to lose your past life. He had read various stories but reading about something and experiencing things were totally different. He could only make guesses and in that moment his guess was that for someone like Blaine the topic of his past, his family and friends must have been the most difficult to talk about. That was why he chose to ignore the slip up and change the topic since he didn’t want the boy to feel uncomfortable.

“Well, you _are_ comfy,” he said staring through the frosted window. Now that they were just lazily lying on the bed with no eye contact it felt like it was a perfect time to talk things out. “About earlier… First of all, I’m sorry that you got to see it. It had been a few intense days and it just sort of happened, you know?”

“I get it, Kurt… You don’t have to apologise,” Blaine said and ran his thumb over Kurt’s hand in a soothing manner. “We both just kind of lost it today. Let’s just say that today is not our day.”

“No, today is my favourite day,” Kurt smiled to himself, “because I got you back. I’ll admit it was pretty difficult to tiptoe around you, not knowing how to help you.”

“I’m–”

“Please, no more apologising, okay? It was hard but we got through it, right? I know it must have been more difficult for you thank for me. I don’t know how you feel but I was thinking of what I would do if I were you and I wouldn’t trust me or my dad either. You don’t know us well and here we are, locking you up in our house. I know you don’t trust us and probably won’t for a long time but I promise I will do everything I can to earn your trust.”

Blaine let out a heavy sigh. “I want to trust you, I really do…”

“Let’s give it some time, okay?” Kurt said and heard a loud growl from Blaine. “We need to feed that monster, otherwise it will eat me.”

“I’ll tell it to be gentle with you,” Blaine giggled with a faint blush on his cheeks.

Kurt wiggled out of the slave boy’s grip and sat up in the bed. “I didn’t know it was possible to eat someone gently.”

“It’s possible with girls but I’m not sure about the guys,” Blaine said and Kurt looked at him with big eyes.

“Did you just…”

“I think I did,” Blaine’s blush deepened.

“Oh my god,” Kurt laughed and they both stood up to leave the room. “You just… you are full of surprises, you know?”

“Just the lack of filter sometimes,” the boy shrugged, a smile plastered on his face.

Kurt shook his head. “Okay, let’s go. Gently or not, I don’t want to be eaten.”

They descended the stairs and went into the living room. The episode they had just started watching when Kurt burst into tears was stopped and Kurt assumed Blaine took care of it before going upstairs to comfort him. It was amazing how thoughtful the other boy was.

“Do you know if Puck is coming today?” Blaine asked when they sat down on the couch and started eating.

“He didn’t go to school today so he won’t be bringing my assignments,” Kurt responded after swallowing a big bite. “He’s been avoiding me since the incident… I told him I forgave him but I think he still feels guilty about it.”

“So do I,” Blaine mumbled.

“You couldn’t have known it would happen,” the teenager uttered. “You wrote those rules because you felt comfortable having them. I should have warned Noah about them beforehand and he shouldn’t have turned to violence before talking things out. You are not at fault here.”

“He didn’t hurt you badly, did he?” Blaine asked since he hadn’t been brave enough to ask Kurt how he was doing before.

“A couple of tiny bruises so no big deal,” Kurt assured him and took another sandwich. “Eat before I finish everything without you… Not that I would, I mean, I would make more if it wasn’t enough and–”

Blaine smiled at him and cut him off. “I get it, it was a joke,” he smiled and took a bite of his sandwich.

“I guess we will just need to learn how to communicate, huh?” Kurt laughed and they finished eating in silence, Blaine drinking his cold tea from time to time.

After there were no more food left and the mug stood on the table empty the boys decided to clean up before having a marathon of _Friends_. They went into the kitchen and Blaine washed the plates while Kurt took care of the ingredients they had prepared for the soup before their argument. They were almost done when Blaine broke the silence.

“I was wondering… I mean, you can say no… I just… Um… You know, never mind,” he laughed nervously. “Forget I said anything.”

“What was that?” Kurt asked and closed the fridge door.

“Nothing,” Blaine smiled at him and put the plate on the dish dryer rack.

“Oh, so I will finally hear you sing?” Kurt asked with a smirk, pointing at the rules where it said that if Blaine didn’t talk freely, he would have to sing a verse of any song.

The slave looked at the paper. “Oh… Um, I still have a sore throat so it won’t be good…” he tried to get out of the punishment.

“I’m sure it will be great,” Kurt encouraged him. “Any song you want.”

“Can I think about it?”

“Sure,” the boy said. “You have until I clean the table.”

He then went to find a wet cloth, cleaned the table, and dried it with a kitchen towel. After it was done, he looked at Blaine expectantly.

“Okay, I thought of something,” the boy said and lowered his eyes as if he couldn’t dare look at Kurt when singing the words out.

 

_Is it really all they say it is_

_I’m trynna make sense of this_

_They always say_

_Never join the circus_

_Will they really take care of me_

_Love me like I wanna be_

_I’ve heard before_

_This life can leave you empty_

Kurt looked at the lost boy, who nervously wriggled his hands while voicing out his biggest fear. It was something he couldn’t tell him directly but right there, through the song, he was telling Kurt that all he wanted was to be loved. He just feared they might not.

When Blaine finished the last note Kurt took his hand, making the boy look up at him, and continued the song.

 

_It’s hard to see it from the bottom_

_When your light is still shining_

_It’s time for you to hurry up now_

_Cuz your time is rising_

_It’s hard to see it from the bottom_

_When you wanna give up now_

_You gotta keep on going_

_Cuz your time is rising_

While he sang Kurt could see tears starting to swell up in Blaine’s eyes and he could feel his own eyes watering. It didn’t stop them from singing the chorus part together though.

 

_Oh, you feel it coming now_

_You feel it falling down_

_You gotta keep yourself together_

_You feel it coming now_

_You feel it falling down_

_You gotta keep yourself together_

This time Blaine looked straight at Kurt while singing, as if sending him a message – he wasn’t the only one who needed strength, Kurt needed support as well. But when the chorus ended, he couldn’t help but look past him.

 

_Is it really all they say it is_

_I can feel it getting breathless_

_They always say_

_The camera is contagious_

_Will the room start to cave in_

_When my steps start shifting_

_Cuz I’ve heard before_

_Don’t lose what you believe in_

Still holding Blaine’s hand Kurt smiled at him encouragingly, wiping one last tear off his cheek.

 

_It’s hard to see it from the top now_

_When your light is still blinding_

_No time to close your eyes now_

_No time for hiding_

_It’s hard to see it from the top now_

_When you wanna fall back down_

_You gotta keep on climbing_

_Cuz your time is rising_

Just before the chorus Blaine took Kurt’s other hand and they both sang their hearts out.

 

_Oh, you feel it coming now_

_You feel it falling down_

_You gotta keep yourself together_

_You feel it coming now_

_You feel it falling down_

_You gotta keep yourself together_

_Oh, you feel it coming now_

_You feel it falling down_

_You gotta keep yourself together_

It wasn’t the full chorus but it was good enough for them. Once again they had tear-stained faces and looking at each other they laughed, unknowingly for the same reason.

“We are such babies,” Kurt said and rubbed his aching eyes with his right hand, his left one still holding Blaine’s.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Blaine giggled. “We need to watch some comedy before we start crying again.”

“ _Friends_ it is,” the teen said and they went back into the living room, still holding hands. “We sound good together. Well, we will when you get better and when I get to sing not right after crying.”

“You have a beautiful voice,” Blaine praised him as they sat down on the couch. “Countertenors are very rare.”

“Oh, I know, I was a star of my glee club back in Paris,” he said, pride in his voice.

“Do you miss your friends?”

“I do, really. We text each other on Viber but it’s not the same…”

Blaine nodded thoughtfully and pulled Kurt closer. “Come here, we both need some comfort right now,” he said and let Kurt snuggle to his side.

It felt a bit strange for Kurt. For the past days he was the one, who had to be the strong one, taking care of the poor slave. Being held by the same boy who needed his protection was weird. Good weird though because even the strongest people sometimes need to be taken care of.

“Like I said before, very comfy,” Kurt said with a smile. “Before we start with _Friends_ … You don’t think that after the punishment I won’t ask you to tell me what it was about, do you?”

“Oh, um, if I don’t, will I have to sing another song?”

“Yes… Yes, you will.”

“Then we will cry some more,” Blaine said with a laugh. “I, uh, I wanted to ask you if I could sleep with you… Or somewhere else. Not… not the guest room. If that’s possible?”

Kurt frowned looking at him. “What’s wrong with the guest room?”

“The… the mattress on the bed is too soft. I had been sleeping on concrete for so long that I can’t sleep on that mattress,” he said self-consciously.

“You told me you had been getting at least seven hours of sleep,” the teen reminded him in confusion.

“I slept on the ground,” Blaine confessed. “And since your mattress is firmer, I was thinking maybe you would let me… I know it’s stupid. That’s why I stopped myself from asking the first time.”

“It’s not stupid,” Kurt argued. “You should have said something earlier… Of course you can sleep with me until we figure out what to do, okay?”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. We will move your bedding to my room later. Let’s get our moods up now, shall we?”

“Okay,” Blaine agreed and Kurt started the ninth episode from the beginning.

Somewhere around the sixteenth episode Kurt fell asleep on Blaine’s chest and the slave turned down the sound of the TV to make sure the teen could get some sleep. He was aware that Kurt hadn’t been getting nearly enough sleep and he blamed himself for it. Kurt had been putting way too much energy in interacting with him and taking care of his well-being. With the pile of assignments and homework on top of that the boy didn’t rest as much as he needed to.

Running his hand through the sleeping boy’s messy hair Blaine looked back at the day they had had. It had been so emotional that it was no surprise that Kurt fell asleep on him.

It felt good to finally voice his thoughts to Kurt but it wasn’t the arguing in the kitchen that left his mind occupied. It was the other boy’s outburst. Seeing him crying, beating himself up for silly things made his heart ache. It also gave him hope that maybe Kurt was different.

He really, really wanted to believe him. It was just too hard. After his experience with his parents, his brother’s wife, the Karofskys, and many residents of Lima, it was hard to trust anyone. It was easy to pretend though. Lying there in bed he wasn’t Blaine the slave. He was Blaine Anderson, comforting his one of many friends. For a second he forgot where he was and what might happen if he put trust in those people. A heartbreak. It was always just that.

Not wishing to start crying again at the painful memories the slave boy started listening to the TV more attentively. He loved _Friends_. It was still funny even though it wasn’t the first time he watched it. He particularly liked Phoebe, who had been through a lot but still stayed positive. She was his spirit animal.

It was dark outside when a car pulled over and soon Burt walked into the house. Blaine could hear him going into the kitchen and a few minutes later he walked out of it.

_Don’t come in here, don’t come in here, don’t come in here…_

Unfortunately, Burt did and in the TV light he saw the boys cuddling. “Evening, boys,” he said loudly.

“Evening, Mr Hummel,” Blaine greeted him in a whisper. “Kurt is asleep.”

“Oh,” Burt scratched his head and began whispering, “is it comfortable for you? He isn’t hurting your bruises, is he?”

He didn’t know why but Blaine felt intimidated by the man. So far he had been nothing but nice to him, always asking him how he was feeling but still, he was a big man, who could easily hurt him if he wanted to.

“I’m okay, he is not hurting me,” he said when Burt sat down in the armchair.

“I saw some shatters in the kitchen bin. What happened?” the man asked and he could feel the blood drain from his face.

“Sir, I’m sorry, I broke that plate. I promise, I’ll pay for it, I don’t know when but–” he said as quickly as his hushed voice allowed.

“You did it?” Burt asked and, surprisingly, smiled. “Well, I owe you one I guess. That ugly thing was a gift from my mother. A great woman, big heart but no taste whatsoever. Even I can see that! So if you ever feel like breaking anything just look for the same pattern and smash it. We have plates, cups… Whatever suits you.”

Blaine looked at him with nothing to say. He never knew what to think of the man because he was nothing like any other adults he had encountered. His relationship with Kurt was making him jealous and Burt treating him the same way he treated Kurt was making him confused.

Before an awkward silence could fall between them, Blaine felt the boy in his arms start to squirm and in a moment he opened his red eyes. “Dad?” he asked when he saw the dark figure.

“Yup, it’s me,” Burt said and turned the light on.

“What’s going on?” Kurt asked covering his eyes from the bright light.

“You kind of fell asleep on me,” Blaine explained very well aware of Burt’s eyes on him as the man sat down.

“I told you that you were comfy,” Kurt laughed with a blush colouring his face.

The slave boy didn’t miss the man’s questioning look that the other boy didn’t notice. “Um, may I go to the guest room to read, please?” he went into the slave-mode just in case Kurt’s dad didn’t appreciate him being himself.

Both men said it was okay and the boy left. Kurt followed him with his eyes and when he looked back at his dad he was met with a knowing look on his face.

“It has to happen on his own record,” Burt warned him.

“What do you mean?”

“He has to make the first move.”

“I don't get it.”

“Your heart eyes, buddy, they can be seen from the moon!” Burt explained, trying not to speak too loudly so that his voice couldn’t be heard upstairs. “Anyway, as I was saying, if you want anything to happen between you two it has to happen because Blaine makes the first move.”

Kurt didn’t get it. His dad probably didn’t understand that the boy would never gather the courage to make the first move. He could hardly ever ask for anything he wanted or needed. But if he just got Blaine to see that he was interested and if the slave boy liked him back, then maybe something would happen between them.

“But if I showed him that I liked him–” he was about to reason with his dad when the man interrupted him.

“He might be a bit better now, speaking more freely with that one rule but there is still a slave personality in him that might see you as a master a little bit. You making a move on him would seem like using him or forcing to be together.”

“But I would never–”

“Imagine you asked him to be your boyfriend,” the man gave him a lovely visual. “What if he thinks we will throw him out if he says no? Or kick him out when you two break up? You will never know if he is with you because he really wants to be or because he is scared...”

“Why can't my life be ordinary for once,” Kurt whined and felt like a kid, who was about to throw a tantrum.

“Ordinary is boring,” Burt said and stood up. “Just remember my words. I know you are smart, buddy.”

“Don’t worry, dad. This is probably just a crush. I’ll get over it,” he said and saw his dad leaving the room. “Where are you going?”

“I'll go see if Blaine wants to catch a game with me later. There is a football match in an hour,” he explained.

“Aren't I invited?” Kurt teased him.

“Actually, I’d like it to be the two of us only if you don’t mind,” the man looked at him guiltily. “I don't spend enough time with Blaine and if we want him to be comfortable enough to want to stay I have to step up my game. And you could use an evening to yourself. I've been putting too much pressure on you with Blaine and all,” he finished with a sigh.

Kurt appreciated his dad’s words but he knew it wasn’t the man’s fault. “It’s not you, it’s the situation. You can't not go to work because you just started there. I, on the other hand, can afford missing a few days of school.”

“Still it feels like I'm always asking too much from you.”

“You just treat me as an adult and I appreciate it,” Kurt said. He always admired how his dad managed to treat teenagers as equals.

“You matured too early...” the man said with a laugh.

“Well, someone had to take care of you,” the boy teased him.

“Your mother would be proud of you, you know. I am,” Burt said and Kurt felt like tearing up again.

“Thanks, dad. Now go and bond with Blaine or whatever,” he said and stood up as well, only one thing on his mind – a scented bubble bath.


	29. Chapter 29

**December 13, 2012**

Kurt had a lovely evening all to himself. When Burt descended the stairs together with Blaine, who looked rather uneasy, they all made dinner and afterwards he went upstairs, not without a fearful ‘won’t you join us for football’ from Blaine. He said he was in no mood for the game and went to his room to start the bath. While the bathtub was being filled up, he found several scented candles and placed them around the bathroom for a better calming effect. In the end the room looked rather romantic and it was lit just right for reading.

Before getting into the bath the boy worried for a moment how things were going on downstairs but the moment the water touched his pale body, all worries went away and he let himself sink in the calmness around him. For the first half an hour he got lost in his daydreams and when his fantasy ended with him and Blaine living happily ever after, he grabbed the latest issue of _Vogue_ and started reading from where he had left off the last time he had time to read for pleasure. After numerous articles he lost the count of time and it was the best feeling ever to finally let go. Nothing existed anymore.

He was brought back from his thoughts by the knock on his bedroom door. “Kurt?” he heard Blaine’s soft voice.

“I’m in the bathroom,” he shouted and heard the door of his room open. It wasn’t until Blaine entered the bathroom seconds later that Kurt realised that it may have sounded as an invitation to come in.

“Oh,” Blaine gasped and watched Kurt drop the magazine in the process of covering himself up even though the layer of bubbles was still thick enough. “I’m sorry!” he hurried to apologise and turned around with eyes closed.

Kurt, who had been close to panicking, took a few deep breaths to relax. “It’s okay. You didn’t know I was naked,” he said with his cheeks flaming red and inwardly he thanked his romantic side for lighting up the room with candles that made it hard to distinguish the colour of his face.

“No, I… um… shouldn’t have come in,” the boy said and Kurt could bet he was equally as red as he was.

“Uh, that’s fine. Did you want anything?” the teen asked, his both hands hovering over his most intimate parts just in case.

“Not really. I mean, the game just ended and I wanted to ask if you wanted me to do anything for you,” Blaine explained.

Kurt frowned a little. It didn’t feel like he was in the bath for that long. “No, I’m okay. How was the game?” he asked no matter how weird it felt to converse with the other boy while his hands were touching his cock.

“It was… let’s just say I wished you had been there with us,” Blaine let out a nervous laugh.

“That bad?”

“It wasn’t… it wasn’t _bad_ , just a bit weird,” the slave shrugged. “And your dad can be very loud.”

“He is very passionate about football so he tends to scream at the screen,” Kurt said, remembering all the times his dad had startled him when something happened in a game. “I’m sorry if that scared you. I’ll tell him to control himself next time.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry about me. It’s great that your dad is passionate about something so he shouldn’t control himself just because of me. Or anyone, really.”

“How about next time I’ll sit with you to make sure you don’t feel uncomfortable?” Kurt offered.

“Th– that might help,” Blaine stuttered and Kurt found his bashfulness adorable. “So, I guess I’ll be going now.”

“Yeah, that might be a good idea,” Kurt laughed. “Oh, if you want anything to do you can bring your duvet and the pillow to my room. And then do whatever you want.”

“Thanks, Kurt,” Blaine said and left.

The sensation in the bottom of his belly left Kurt wondering if he wasn’t an exhibitionist after all.

***

After he was done with the bath, Kurt put on his pyjamas and went over his moisturising routine, which had been forgotten for the last few days. By the time he finished the bathtub was empty, only his magazine lying on the bottom. He grabbed it and went into his room to find Blaine reading a book in the bed.

“All decent now,” Kurt joked.

“I– I didn’t see anything, in case you were wondering,” Blaine said with the cutest blush.

“I have good products,” the boy responded referring to the bubbles. “You can go take a bath or a shower now.”

“Thanks but I took a shower in the morning.”

“Alright. I’ll go throw this away,” Kurt said gesturing towards the dripping magazine.

Trying not to drop too much water Kurt made his way into the kitchen where their big trash bin was. After he threw _Vogue_ away, he went into the living room where his dad was watching some movie.

“How was the game?” he asked when the man looked at him expectantly.

“It was great, very interesting,” the man nodded excitedly. “The _Buckeyes_ won and it was by far their best game this season.”

“That’s not exactly what I was asking…”

“Oh, you mean Blaine? He was great as well. He made a few comments and he looked pretty much at ease so I think it went well,” the man said proudly.

“Um, dad, I think your head was too far in the game,” Kurt grimaced. “Blaine said it was weird and you were loud.”

“I... Well, I did pay a lot of attention at the game because that’s how games should be watched. I didn’t want him to feel like I was treating him differently just because he’s a slave,” Burt said, not sure anymore if his approach was the right one.

“I know you meant well but I think we should be more careful around him,” Kurt said, knowing that both of them had to do better even if Blaine was already more comfortable with him. “Oh, and before I forget, do you think we could get a new mattress for Blaine’s room? He said it was uncomfortable because it’s too soft. I don’t want him hurting his back or sleeping on the ground, which he had been doing so far.”

“He was sleeping–” Burt began but left the question unfinished, just a sigh getting out of his mouth. “Okay, I’ll go look for one after work tomorrow. I’ll measure the old one later. When is Blaine going to bed? I won’t want to wake him up.”

Suddenly Kurt felt nervous. “I kind of let him sleep with me?” he stated in a questioning manner.

“That’s fine,” Burt didn’t even bat an eye. “By the way, you are going to school on Monday. Blaine will be fine by himself I think.”

“I know, that’s what I was planning anyway. Blaine is better physically and I think he’s getting more comfortable around the house. He should be okay.”

“I’m sure he will,” Burt said, darting his eyes to the screen where some explosions were happening.

“And that’s my cue to leave,” Kurt laughed. “Goodnight, dad.”

“Night, buddy,” the man said and Kurt left.

When he entered his room he found Blaine already out cold with the book on his chest, obviously having fallen asleep while reading. With a fond smile Kurt put the book on the nightstand and properly covered the boy’s body, making sure he would be warm at night. Afterwards he switched the light off and climbed into the bed next to the other boy, only under his own duvet. Even with the nap he had taken earlier, the sleep came soon and Kurt drifted off to the dreamland.

***

**December 14, 2012**

Kurt was woken up by a sharp pain in his shin. He jolted awake and looked around to see what was happening. The room was dark and he couldn’t make out anything. The only disturbance in his room was the trashing coming from beside him. His brain finally caught up and he remembered going to sleep with Blaine next to him. The boy was obviously having a nightmare.

Just like he had done plenty of times already, Kurt shook the boy’s shoulder gently. “Blaine, wake up,” he said hoarsely. “Come on, wake up.”

With some more shaking Blaine gasped and his eyes opened up.

“Blaine, it’s me, Kurt,” the teen said, aware that it would take a few moments for the other boy to recognise his surroundings. “You were having a nightmare.”

“Kurt?” the slave boy mumbled looking towards where the voice was coming from.

“Yup, it’s me,” Kurt said. “You are safe here with me.”

“Am I?” he asked sleepily.

“Of course,” Kurt assured him.

“Okay,” Blaine managed a small smile and his arm wrapped around Kurt’s waste. “Safe,” he uttered and seconds later his breathing evened out as the boy fell asleep.

Kurt settled his head back onto the pillow and gathered Blaine a bit more comfortably in his arms. That’s how they both fell asleep and how they woke up later that morning.

Blaine was the first to wake up that morning. He opened his eyes lazily and saw Kurt’s relaxed face in front of him. He didn’t know how they ended up in this position but they were kind of half hugging with their bodies as close as two duvets allowed them. For the first time in a long time he felt calm after waking up.

Careful not to wake up the other boy, Blaine tightened his grip on Kurt’s body and revelled in the feeling of closeness. This was what he had missed most from his former life as a free person. He used to be touchy-feely with his friends, who always went to him when in need for a good hug. He enjoyed the warmth of another body and the connection two people shared through a single gentle touch. He was so deprived of it that not even two duvets separating them could lessen the pleasure. He closed his eyes, ready to stay like this until Kurt woke up and inevitably pulled away.

It wasn’t even ten minutes later when the boy started to stir in his grip and when he opened his eyes he saw two blue eyes staring at him. Blaine could pinpoint the exact moment when the sleepy fog was lifted from Kurt’s mind and he fully woke up. The worry appeared on his face and before Blaine could say anything, he pulled away.

“Morning,” Kurt said and yawned widely, covering his mouth with his right hand. “I’m sorry for this.”

“This?” Blaine asked confused.

“Cuddling?” Kurt offered. “Though it’s not entirely my fault,” he laughed.

Blaine rubbed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“You had a nightmare and this kind of happened,” the teen explained and got out of the bed to stretch his muscles. “Why didn’t you tell me you had troubles sleeping?”

“It’s just some bad dreams, it’s nothing serious,” Blaine brushed it off, humiliated that Kurt found out his secret. He didn’t know what he had been thinking when he had asked Kurt to sleep with him. “Is there anything you want me to do today?”

“Actually, there is something…” Kurt said thoughtfully. “You mentioned that you enjoy studying so I thought maybe you would like to study with me? A friend of mine, Mike, is also a slave and his girlfriend Tina studies with him. They do homework together and all.”

A slave friend? Who had a _girlfriend_? Blaine felt as if his head was about to explode.

“So, what do you think?” Kurt asked when he stayed silent for too long.

“Yeah, I’d love to study with you,” he finally said. “I’m not sure how far behind I am though…”

“I’ll help you,” Kurt said with a smile. “But first we need to get ready for the day,” he said and went to the bathroom.

***

The mention of Mike didn’t leave Blaine’s mind for a long time. He wondered about him while taking a shower and while Kurt helped him with his fading bruises and the wound around his wrist. He was distracted while eating breakfast and later while watching _Friends_ with Kurt. He didn’t even see what was happening on the show until the other boy pointed it out to him.

“What are you thinking so hard about? You have been out of it the whole morning,” he said with a smile, trying not to sound accusatory, and stopped the episode.

“I’m sorry,” he said blushing after being caught. “Tell me about your friend. Mike.”

Kurt looked surprised but didn’t question his request. “Well, when I said ‘friend’ I actually meant an ‘acquaintance’ since I only met him once and talked to him on a phone a couple of times. I met him when Noah came over with his friends. Tina is one of my classmates and she is sort of a friend of Noah’s. Her parents bought Mike when his parents died. They used to be friends so they wanted to take care of him. In the end Mike and Tina fell in love and they are now dating.”

“Oh,” was all Blaine said.

“He is also the one who suggested the rules,” Kurt continued. “He said you might have been scared of not knowing what we were expecting from you and that rules might give you some sort of routine or something. Since it helped I kind of think of him more as a friend now.”

Blaine nodded lost in his thoughts. It was a foreign concept for him. A slave, who was friends with his owner’s classmates, who was dating his owner and from the sound of it, seemed happy. In some sense their stories were similar and deep down he hoped he would end up as happy as the other slave, even though his logical side told him not to hope.

“Would you want to talk to him?” Kurt’s voice brought him back to reality. He looked at him confused. “I could give you my phone and you two could text, maybe? I would have to ask him first. And when you finish you could delete the conversation so I wouldn’t be able to read it.”

“I–” he hurried to say something and got lost at what to say. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to talk to him. “Okay.”

“Great,” Kurt said and started typing something in his phone. After he was done he pressed play on the remote control. “Let’s wait for his response.”

A new message came soon and Kurt sent out another one. When he got the second message, he offered his phone to Blaine. “Here. If you don’t know how to use it you can ask me,” he said and focused on the episode, leaving Blaine his space, which he was grateful for.

When the slave looked at the screen he saw the messages that Kurt exchanged with Mike.

 _Kurt_ : Hey, Mike. Remember my friend I told you about? He’d like to text you if it’s okay.

 _Mike_ : Sure thing! You can give him my number.

 _Kurt_ : He doesn’t have his own phone, I’ll give him mine. Whatever you two talk about, it’s confidential, you can’t even tell me, okay?

 _Mike_ : I wasn’t planning to haha

Blaine looked at the messages, a warm feeling settling in his chest. With every action Kurt proved to care for him. He just hoped it wasn’t an act.

 _Blaine_ : Hi, my name is Blaine. I’m sorry for bothering you but Kurt told me a little about you and I wanted to talk to you. I’m not even sure about what…

 _Mike_ : That’s fine, I love making new friends. You could tell me a little about yourself if you want. That’s always a good start.

 _Blaine_ : I’m 18, been a slave for over 3 years. I’ve lived with 2 families and now I live with Kurt.

 _Mike_ : Do you like living with Kurt and his dad? A friend of mine knows him and he said ‘Papa Hummel is the awesomest adult ever’. His words, not mine.

 _Blaine_ : Was it Puck?

 _Mike_ : You know Puck? Yeah, it was him. So how about your living arrangements? I won’t tell Kurt, don’t worry.

 _Blaine_ : It was hard at first but Kurt is great. It’s hard to trust him but he seems to be trying hard to make me feel at home. It’s scary…

 _Mike_ : What scares you?

 _Blaine_ : Betrayal. Whenever I trusted someone, they hurt me. I really want to trust him but I don’t know how…

 _Mike_ : Did Kurt tell you that my parents’ friends bought me? When I saw who my owners were, I felt like I was dying. I mean, how could they do that to me? Buy me to boss me around when I grew up playing with their daughter… And then worse, I was a gift to her – Tina. I didn’t realise that they bought me to save me and it took me some time to learn to trust them again. My only advice – give Kurt some time. His dad too.

 _Blaine_ : That’s even more difficult. Mr Hummel is a big man and plain scary. He’s nice with me but still…

 _Mike_ : Have you been hurt by many men? You don’t have to answer.

 _Blaine_ : Two men Mr Hummel’s age… I guess that’s my issue?

 _Mike_ : That’s probably the reason why you find it so hard to trust the man. What helped you with Kurt? I assume you two are doing better than before.

 _Blaine_ : We yelled at each other and then cried. I don’t see that happening with his dad though.

 _Mike_ : But still it was openness, right?

 _Blaine_ : I guess. I kind of got to see his perspective. It made him look more like a human than a master.

 _Mike_ : Do you think you would be able to see Mr Hummel’s perspective somehow? Maybe ask him or Kurt what that man is going through?

 _Blaine_ : I’m not sure…

 _Mike_ : That’s fine. Try to think of it then. It always helps to try to see yourself in someone else’s shoes.

 _Blaine_ : That’s true… Can I ask something?

 _Mike_ : Sure!

 _Blaine_ : Is it weird to be dating your owner? I mean, you belong to her, she can order you to do stuff…

 _Mike_ : I love her more than anything in this world. I also trust her entirely so it’s not weird at all. It’s also kind of cool because we live together so I see her every day. Not every guy can say the same!

 _Blaine_ : It’s inspiring to hear a story like yours. Gives me hope.

 _Mike_ : Hope keeps us alive. Having hope is never a bad thing.

 _Blaine_ : Risky though. I should go back to Kurt. Thank you for chatting with me. It was nice to talk to someone who understands. Kurt tries but it’s not the same.

 _Mike_ : I know. He looks like a decent guy, give him a chance. And whenever you want to talk to me just ask Kurt, I’m sure he will lend you his phone. I liked talking to you!

 _Blaine_ : Thank you again. Have a nice day.

 _Mike_ : You too!

Blaine stared at the last message with a smile. He didn’t know why, maybe it was because of the messaging or maybe because he didn’t know this guy, but it was just too easy to open up to him. People always said it was easier to talk to someone you hadn’t met before and it was totally different to text when no eye contact was involved. It also helped that the other boy was a slave too. Overall he was happy he took Kurt’s offer and was already looking forward to talking to Mike again, especially since he seemed to be a pretty wise guy, who could help him a lot.

“I’m done, thank you,” Blaine said and extended the phone to Kurt.

“No problem. To delete the conversation just press–”

“No,” he shook his head. “I trust you not to read it.”

The spark in Kurt’s eyes was enough for him to know he made the right decision. The boy took his phone back with a smile.

“Thank you,” he said and Blaine knew he wasn’t thanking him for the phone.


	30. Chapter 30

**December 14, 2012**

Kurt was having a difficult time. Blaine had gone to the bathroom in-between the episodes and the teen kept staring at his phone while the other boy was gone. He kind of wished that Blaine had deleted his conversation with Mike so he wouldn’t be having this crisis.

_Blaine trusted me not to read it…_

_But how can I help him when he won’t tell me how to help him…_

_He’s just learning how to trust me, I can’t lose that little faith he has in me over curiosity…_

_He won’t find out though…_

_Maybe he didn’t say anything to Mike, why would he open up to a stranger…_

_Mike is a slave, he can relate to Blaine…_

“Fuck it,” Kurt mumbled silently and unlocked his phone.

He opened the conversation and before he could even read any of the messages, he pressed the delete icon. Now he was sure he wouldn’t break Blaine’s trust at a moment of weakness. He still wondered what the slaves talked about but he could be patient, that was something he had promised Blaine.

Kurt heard the steps coming from upstairs and soon Blaine walked into the living room. Ever since he talked to Mike he seemed kind of happier, more relaxed.

“What would you say if we finished this episode and went to study a little?” Kurt asked and saw Blaine perk up. “I take it you like the idea.”

“Yeah, I’d love that,” Blaine said and sat down next to Kurt, not close enough to touch but still closer than two strangers.

The moment the episode they had been watching ended Blaine looked up at Kurt impatiently, a sparkle playing in his eyes. He reminded Kurt of a puppy, ready to play and with a smile he went into his bedroom with the slave boy in tow.

When they got comfortable on the bed Kurt looked over his list of assignments trying to figure out what they should start with. “Um, I have these History questions to answer… Do you like History?” he asked Blaine.

“Yeah, I love it actually. What are you studying right now?”

“I’m not quite sure what the class is doing but my questions are still from the old topic about Napoleon...” Kurt answered and opened his textbook. “Some questions are easy like giving the right date, others are tougher like comparing the importance of two battles. Are you up for this?”

Blaine nodded eagerly. “Sounds interesting. But could I read the book first, please?”

“Sure,” Kurt said and gave Blaine his textbook. “It’s chapter fifteen. We can answer the questions separately and then compare them.”

“Good idea,” the boy said and started reading.

They worked in a companionable silence for a while, History being followed by Calculus, Calculus being followed by English. It surprised Kurt how little help Blaine actually needed. The other boy was way too smart for a slave (he kicked himself for stereotyping) and only asked questions after putting a lot of effort to understand by himself. Once again Kurt wondered how long he had been in slavery. He only knew that it couldn’t have been a long time.

They moved on to Spanish and since Blaine hardly knew the language he opted to read the next chapter of Kurt’s History textbook. While Kurt was trying hard to translate an extra tricky sentence into English the doorbell sounded through the house and the teen checked the time.

“It might be Noah,” he concluded seeing it was already after school hours. “He didn’t say he would be coming today… Stay in here just in case, okay?”

Musing Kurt went downstairs and opened the door to reveal people he didn’t expect to see.

“Hey, Kurt,” the girls in his doorway said, smiling somewhat guiltily.

“Hi, Rachel, Mercedes,” Kurt responded still shocked to see his classmates. “How did you know where I lived?”

The girls shared a look and it was Mercedes who spoke. “My friend’s mom is Figgins’ – the principal’s – secretary so my friend got your address for us. Could we come in?”

“Uh, sure,” Kurt said and let the girl get into the house, knowing it was a good idea since he was wearing thin clothes and the air from outside was making him cold. “Why are you here?” he went straight to the point when they were all inside.

“You weren’t answering our messages,” Rachel said.

“You sent me like three messages… And it’s not like we ended on good terms last time we spoke,” the boy said, remembering the infamous sleepover.

“That’s why we are here,” Mercedes said before he could elaborate. “We talked and we decided that we were in the wrong.”

“Excuse me?” Kurt stared at her with big eyes.

“Yeah, we didn’t really understand what was going on but then we kind of realised that you weren’t pro-slavery as we had thought. You hadn’t ever really said you didn’t like slavery so we just assumed you did… and you never corrected us,” Rachel accused him in a soft voice. “So we wanted to apologise and propose being friends, who never talk about slavery.”

Kurt was taken aback by the offer, it was the last thing he ever thought he would hear from the girls. While it was tempting he just couldn’t agree. It all flashed through his mind in a matter of seconds – all the times they called Blaine names, how Rachel was at fault for Blaine’s black eye, how they both treated their own slaves, how they were okay with Blaine being killed.

“No,” he said shaking his head, “I’m sorry but we can’t be friends. I’m okay with being civil towards each other but I don’t think I could ever be friends with people like you.”

“Ouch, now that hurts,” Mercedes forced a small smile as if she was joking.

“Listen, I appreciate you coming here today and making an effort to be friends but slavery is something I’m very passionate about and I can’t see myself being friends with people who treat their slaves badly.”

“Well, at least we tried,” Rachel mumbled. “So, when are you coming back to school?”

“I’ll be back on Monday,” Kurt said, suddenly aware that he was supposed to act sick. “I’m not feeling too well just yet but I should be fine soon,” he said and fake coughed.

“I guess we should get going before we catch something,” Mercedes laughed. “We’ll see you on Monday.”

They bid their goodbyes and when he closed the door Kurt could hardly believe the whole conversation ever happened. He climbed the stairs and his shock must have been clear on his face because Blaine looked at him with concern.

“Are you okay,” he asked when Kurt sat down on the bed. “You look… weird.”

“Two of my classmates came over to talk. They…” he thought for a moment how to describe their friendship. “They were the first people who talked to me at school. We were sort of friends I guess. It’s just that… they think slavery is a good thing,” he finished in a small voice.

“Oh…” Blaine swallowed audibly. “And why are you friends with them? If I may ask.”

Kurt couldn’t make himself meet Blaine’s eyes and just stared at the cover of his Calculus textbook. “When I moved to Lima I was afraid I wouldn’t make any friends so I took what I could get. The girls treated me as a friend from day one so I just tuned out whenever they were talking about slavery.”

“It’s not nice of them to talk about it if you don’t like the topic,” Blaine frowned.

“I…” Kurt began, painfully aware of his burning face, “I didn’t exactly tell them I was against slavery…”

“You… pretended to like it?”

“Yeah, I… I wanted to fit in, you know? But I learned my lesson and I’d rather be alone than betray my beliefs ever again,” Kurt said and finally looked at Blaine, to see if he was angry with him or not.

The other boy seemed pretty calm though. “So you told them you didn’t like slavery in the end?” he asked, his voice curious.

“Not in that many words… I mean, I snapped at them and yelled when I couldn’t take in anymore and they figured out what the reason was. They came over to suggest being friends again, just without talking about slavery.”

“Oh, um, that’s… nice,” Blaine forced a smile.

“I said no,” Kurt said hurriedly. “I can’t be friends with them even though it’s not their fault they are the way they are.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, they were raised by a pro-slavery family in a society, where owning other people is normal. They would have been different otherwise.”

“That’s bullshit,” Blaine exclaimed, his voice rising a little. “Oh, shit, I didn’t mean to curse, I’m sorry.”

Kurt shook his head. “Don’t worry, I curse a lot too. I just don’t understand why you think it’s bullshit.”

“Come one, you can’t blame parents for their children’s behaviour. It’s just a stupid excuse, ‘I was raised like that’,” he said in a mocking manner. “It’s an excuse for narrow-minded people. My parents owned four slaves, one of them was my dad’s sex slave and I knew it was killing my mom to see him with her but despite that I was always nice to all of them. In my eyes they were people, not things. Now how different my background is to your friends’?”

“Not… very,” Kurt said, realising that Blaine had a point.

The boy didn’t stop though. “Take homosexuality, for example. I had many friends at school, whose parents were homophobes and they lived in a homophobic State but they were still my friends. They read articles and watched videos about being gay, they asked me what it was like to be different. They educated themselves, they didn’t let their parents’ opinions dictate theirs.”

“I get it,” Kurt said when the other boy finished. “I just never thought about it before. I guess it’s just easier to blame your parents than to look at your own flaws.”

“Yeah, that’s my point,” Blaine said, breathing heavily from his outburst. “I’m sorry I took it out on you. I just got emotional…”

“One smart man once told me that if you are passionate about something you shouldn’t control yourself,” Kurt said with a smile.

“Using my words against me? That’s not very nice,” Blaine laughed.

“Maybe I’m not a very nice person then.”

“You are,” the slave boy said with a smile. “So, can we go back to studying now?”

“You are such a nerd,” Kurt said and they both laughed.

***

 _Noah_ : hey kurt meeting on sunday at my place at 2pm

 _Kurt_ : Wait a sec, did you just call me Kurt?

 _Noah_ : yeah can you make it

 _Kurt_ : Sure, just give me your address… Puck. And remember how you owe me one?

 _Noah_ : yeah

 _Kurt_ : We are going shopping tomorrow. Come over at 11am.

The boy put his phone aside with a satisfied smirk. He knew Puck wouldn’t appreciate going shopping with him and it would be a good way for the other boy to redeem himself by carrying the bags around. Since Blaine needed a whole wardrobe he knew there would be plenty of bags to carry. Sure, he wouldn’t be able to buy anything too expensive and he would probably have to go to the second-hand shops only but at least Blaine would have some clothes of his own, not to mention of the right size.

He looked into his wallet to see how much he had and how much he would have to ask his dad for. He couldn’t ask for much since his dad already bought a new mattress for Blaine and while it didn’t cost as much as they had thought it would, it was still pricey.

The money question had to wait until the next day though because he knew his dad was talking to Blaine about something downstairs before he left for his first real date with Carole. He didn’t know when he could come back home afterwards.

***

Blaine went downstairs when Kurt had told him his dad wanted to talk to him. For a second he thought his heart stopped. Did he finally do something wrong? Was the man going to tell him to leave or beat him up? The slave’s hands were shaking when he entered the living room, where Burt had been waiting for him.

“You wanted to see me, Mr Hummel?” he asked politely and the man turned around to face him.

“Ah, yeah, I did. How do I look?” Burt asked and turned around. “Kurt told me to wear this for the date but I’m not sure.”

“You look good, Mr Hummel,” Blaine managed through his nerves.

“I hope Carole thinks so too. I haven’t gone on a date since Kurt’s mother died,” the man said and gestured for Blaine to sit down. He spoke again when they were both sitting on the couch. “It gave me an idea…”

Blaine looked curiously at the man who took out a beautiful silver ring with a single clear stone in the middle. “This is my mother’s engagement ring. I proposed to Elizabeth with it. I loved her so much,” Burt said staring at the piece of jewellery. “It’s the most valuable thing I have. It’s not worth much in money but in my heart it has a special place. I want you to keep it safe for me.”

Blaine frowned, his eyes going from the ring to the man’s face. “I don’t understand.”

“I trust you to keep it safe, buddy. I want to make you a deal, okay? You will keep the ring for as long as you live here. If you decide to leave, you will just give it back to me before leaving. But if I ever kick you out, you get to take it with you,” Burt explained. “It’s some sort of reassurance that you will have a place with us for as long as you want. What do you say?”

“I…” Blaine choked, having lost the ability to speak.

He knew it didn’t mean much. The man could just forcefully take the ring from him right before kicking him out but the thought itself of Burt trying to come up with a way to connect with him warmed his heart. He was about to accept the offer when he thought of Burt throwing him out of his house with the ring and then accusing him of stealing it. There were many possibilities how this could have ended badly.

He thought of Puck’s praises and then Mike’s encouragement to give the man a chance. He hesitated just a tad bit too long because Burt retreated the ring.

“Sorry, I thought this was a good idea,” the man sighed and scratched his bald head. “Kurt is so much better at this… But rest assured, I’ll find a way to earn your trust, kid,” he finished with an awkward laugh.

Blaine bit his bottom lip before blurting out, “I’ll keep it, Mr Hummel.”

“You will?” Burt asked and Blaine could hear excitement in his voice.

“Yes,” the slave said and took the ring from the man. While he carefully slipped the ring on the chain of his locket he asked the question that worried him, “What’s the punishment for losing it?”

“No punishment,” Burt said and stood up. “I don’t want you to be scared here. And I trust you not to lose it.”

“Thank you, Mr Hummel.”

“You know, we are living in the same house, I think it’s time you start calling me Burt,” the man said. “Now, if you excuse me, I have a lovely lady to charm.”

The man left not long after and Blaine sat in the living room alone, playing with the ring in his fingers. He opened the locket and looked at the photos inside, something he always did when he felt lost. He wondered what his life would have been like if his brother hadn’t died.


	31. Chapter 31

**December 15, 2012**

The next morning was beautiful. After several days of cloudy weather there was finally a bright sun visible in the sky. Kurt hoped it would stay like this for a while.

When he finally went down into the kitchen to make something for breakfast he found his dad already up and reading a newspaper.

“Morning,” Burt greeted him.

“Morning,” Kurt responded and took in his dad’s posture. “I take it the date didn’t go too well?”

The man sighed and closed the newspaper when Kurt went to the fridge to look for something edible. “It was alright until we started talking slavery… As a veterinarian I thought she would be sympathetic to slaves but apparently she trained herself not to get attached or too emotional over mistreated slaves. She’s neither pro-slavery, nor against it, she just doesn’t care. I told her that her son had hit a slave and she said ‘boys’ and that’s it! I’m sorry kiddo but it seems that Finn won’t get punished for what he did.”

“Are you going to continue seeing her?” Kurt asked and poured some milk on the cereal. He decided to ignore the punishment topic knowing that soon Finn would get what he deserved; not ass kicking but as good as.

“I don’t think so. If I was ever to seriously be with someone I need a woman, who would treat Blaine as a person. Any slave for that matter.”

Kurt sat down to eat. “There is still a possibility that Blaine will leave once he gets better…”

“Do you want me to date Carole?”

“I’m just saying that you shouldn’t give up just because she built walls around herself,” the boy explained himself. “I bet it used to hurt her too much to see the slaves being treated like rubbish so she learned how to deal with it. And Mike, my slave friend, said that she was a nice lady. She probably treats slave like any other humans…”

“She may or may not be nice to them but the way she ignored the news about her own son beating someone, it just didn’t feel right,” the man shook his head.

“It’s your decision, really, but I think you shouldn’t be so quick to judge,” Kurt said and finally put a spoon of cereal into his mouth. “Give her some time.”

“Look who is talking with his mouth full,” Burt laughed seeing how he was the one getting scolded over it quite often.

“I’m hungry,” the teen defended himself after swallowing the food.

They were laughing when Blaine entered the kitchen, his eyes still heavy with sleep. “Good morning,” he greeted the Hummels and sat down on the chair that was his usual now.

“Morning, kiddo, want some cereal?” Burt asked and pushed the box closer to the boy.

“Thank you but I’m not hungry yet,” the boy answered with a yawn.

“You look pale,” Kurt said when he got a better look at the other boy’s face. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Just tired,” Blaine mumbled.

“Are you sure? Your eyes are kind of red…” Burt looked at him with concern.

“I’m sure,” the boy managed a smile.

Kurt took in his appearance until it dawned on him – Blaine must have spent the night crying. Aware that the boy wouldn’t want this to be pointed out, he decided to ignore it.

“If you are tired you should take a nap later on,” he said with an encouraging smile, pretending to having bought the being tired excuse. “I’m taking Noah shopping today by the way. That should be fun.”

Blaine looked at confused. “Puck shopping? I doubt it will be fun.”

“He doesn’t have a say in that,” Kurt smirked victoriously. “He will be my personal shopping sla–”

“So, Blaine, I was thinking we could do something together while Kurt is gone,” Burt cut in to distract the slave from Kurt’s slip up. “I was thinking of ‘Monopoly’. Are you up for it?”

Blaine gave Kurt a smile, showing that he was not upset about the slave joke and responded to Burt’s suggestion, “It sounds fun, Mr Burt,” he said even though it was clear to Kurt that he wasn’t too sure it would be fun to spend an afternoon with the man.

“Great! Kurt always wins so I stopped playing with him long ago,” Burt grimaced. “When are you leaving, Kurt?”

“I told Noah to come at eleven so he should be here soon,” the boy said after checking the time. “I’ll try not to take too long because we still need to clean the house.”

“Ah, yeah, we’ll do it later, I’m too excited for the game,” the man said way too cheerfully and Kurt made a mental note to tell him later to tone it down a little.

They continued chatting, Blaine not saying much since he was still struggling to fully wake up. No more than ten minutes later the doorbell rang and Puck came in when Kurt let him in.

“What’s up?” he greeted Blaine and Burt.

“Hey, Puck,” Blaine smiled at the boy.

“Morning,” Burt said and looked at the teen solemnly. “I wish you the strength today. I truly hope to see you alive after Kurt is done with you.”

“I’m not that bad,” Kurt crossed his arms over his chest.

“Last time I went shopping with you I had blisters on my feet, blisters!”

“You shouldn’t have worn new shoes for that…” Kurt rolled his eyes. “Okay, _Puck,_ we should get going. There are many stores to visit.”

“I’ll give you some cash,” Burt said and went to find his wallet.

“How long do you think this will take?” Puck asked warily.

“Not too long,” Kurt said thinking. “Four to five hours maybe? Depends on how lucky we are.”

“Four to…” Puck gaped. “Kill me now.”

“Oh, come on, we will have loads of fun,” the teenager said with a wide grin. “Well, I’ll be having fun, that’s for sure.”

“Remind me not to anger you in the future…” Puck whined when Burt came back.

The man gave Kurt a few bills and the boy put them in his pocket. “Thanks, dad. Come on, No– Puck, to the shopping heaven!”

“Before we go _there_ … The crazy guy a few streets from here is moving out next week and he’s having a garage sale today. Thought we should check it out,” Puck said.

“A garage sale in December? Is he serious?” Burt asked surprised.

“I said he was crazy,” the mohawked teen laughed.

“You should go then,” the man shrugged. “You know what they say, ‘one man’s junk is another man’s treasure’.”

Puck snorted. “Yeah, Kurt and Blaine are well aware of that.”

“Oh my god, Noah, shut up,” Kurt said, his cheeks burning. “It’s ‘trash’, dad, not ‘junk’. I’m okay with checking it out. There might be something good.”

After saying goodbyes Puck and Kurt left Blaine with Burt, who was talking excitedly about how they should modify the original rules of ‘Monopoly’ so that the game wouldn’t take ages to finish.

Puck gave him directions and soon they were parking by the house with an open garage and various stuff scattered around the driveway. Some of them were put on the snow even.

“Who is this guy?” Kurt whispered to Puck.

“It’s Coach Tanaka. Well, he used to be a coach of the football team in McKinley but he kind of lost it when Miss Pillsbury broke up with him…”

The boy went into the garage and saw a man sitting in a lawn chair with a can of beer in his right hand.

“Hey, coach,” Puck greeted the man and got a grunt in response. “Let’s look around.”

Kurt stared at the man for a little while longer but forced himself to move. He didn’t bother to look through the clothes since the man was much bigger than Blaine so he just looked through the other stuff, hoping to find something that might cheer up the slave boy.

“Kurt, come her,” Puck shouted after a couple of minutes.

“Are you calling me by my name because you feel guilty?” Kurt asked when he reached the other boy.

“Yeah, I’ll go back to calling you princess after today,” the boy said and lifted an old guitar. “Remember the guitar pick Blaine had in his bag? I think he might play.”

Kurt looked back at the future they painted together where Blaine said he would play guitar to his cat. “Yeah, he definitely plays. I don’t really have much money and Blaine needs a full wardrobe… How much do you think it will cost?”

“The man is drunk, I’m sure we can get it almost for free,” Puck said. “Let’s go and ask him. This is the only good thing around here.”

Kurt nodded and they carefully made their way back to the man, who was now asleep, the beer on the ground.

“Coach?” Puck shook the man until he woke up. “How much do you want for the guitar?

The man opened his eyes lazily and looked at the instrument with his eyes unfocused. “Five bucks.”

“Seriously?” Kurt mouthed to Puck. The guitar may have been old but it must have been of a good condition if Puck suggested buying it after all.

“Just take it,” Tanaka said and Kurt was happy to give him five dollars.

They took the instrument and put it on the back seat. “I can’t believe it was so cheap… Are you sure he won’t come after us once he sobers up? I feel like a thief almost.”

“Don’t worry, just think of how happy Blainers is going to be,” Puck smirked and made himself comfortable in the passenger seat.

They started to drive and Kurt couldn’t help but ask the question that had been on his mind for a long time. “Why do you care about Blaine? No offense but you don’t seem like a guy, who cares for others…”

“My biological parents are slaves,” Puck answered, mindlessly looking through the window.

“What?” Kurt stared at him in disbelief before he remembered he was supposed to look at the road in front of him. “I thought kids born for slaves are supposed to be slaves as well.”

“They are. I’m an exception. People who raised me couldn’t have kids so they bought two young slaves, made them fuck until they got pregnant, then resold the guy and after I was born they resold the girl as well. A couple of years ago my so called grandfather felt the need to explain why I’m such a fuck up so he told me the truth.”

“Aren’t slaves expensive? I thought you didn’t have much money…”

“My parents’ business went bankrupt, dad left mom, and now we are poor,” Puck explained and fell silent. Kurt didn’t push him any further.

***

“Hey, Kurt, Kurt, look at me,” Puck yelled and the teenager looked up to see the teen getting out of the fitting room.

He was wearing a bright pink shirt, so short that his belly button was showing, a light purple skirt that covered his knees, and a hat with various flowers sticking out of it.

“Aren’t I pretty, Kurt?” he asked and spun around.

Kurt laughed at the sight and got his phone out of the pocket. “Let me take a video of that. Spin around again,” the teen did as asked and Kurt knew he had the best blackmail material. “Blaine is going to love this.”

“We should put a show for him,” Puck said and clapped his hands. He quickly looked through the racks of clothes and put an outfit for Kurt. “Here, put this on.”

The teen laughed and grabbed the clothes. He really did not expect to have this much fun. Puck had been grim at first but when Kurt told him he didn’t have to do anything besides carrying the bags because his taste couldn’t be trusted, he perked up and went looking for fun.

At the first shop the boy spent most time flirting with the shop assistant until Kurt dragged him out of it threatening to tell Lauren to cut off his balls. The threat worked its magic and in the next second-hand shop the boy was behaving until he found a new activity – putting on the weirdest clothes he could find and then walking around the shop in them while Kurt looked for anything that Blaine would look nice in.

Kurt quickly put Puck’s selected outfit on and exited the fitting room to hear claps from the young shop assistant and cat calls from Puck. Laughing Kurt strutted across the shop imagining it was a catwalk while Puck took photos. The teen didn’t remember the last time he had so much fun.

***

Hours later the boys drove back to Kurt’s home exhausted. After they went through all second-hand shops they went to the mall to look for some cheap clothes there and Kurt also dragged Puck to various shops for Christmas shopping as well. Puck had to go back to the car several times because he couldn’t hold all the bags.

Kurt unlocked the door and the two of them went in, carrying some of the bags with them. Voices in the living room caught their attention.

“This is so unfair,” Burt whined. “ _Life_ is so unfair…”

Kurt looked at the scene in front of him. Blaine was sitting on the ground with his legs crossed while Burt was lying on his side. The slave was wearing a wide smile.

“What’s going on?” Kurt asked, happy to see Blaine kind of relaxed around his dad.

“I was just sent to jail,” Burt said and moved his metal car to the jail square. “Not to mention that I’m losing just as always… Blaine is just as good as you are. You two should battle one day.”

“Maybe we will,” Kurt laughed. “Seeing it’s almost six I think we should clean the house tomorrow. Have you started on dinner?”

“Oh,” Burt looked at his son guiltily. “Let’s order something in, alright? Blaine, as a winner you get to choose.”

“Choose something good because I’m staying for dinner,” Puck announced.

“Since when?” Kurt looked at him.

“Since I earned my forgiveness and I can go back to being an ass,” the teen replied. “Let’s get the bags upstairs, princess.”

“I’ll help,” Blaine offered and was about to stand up when Kurt spoke.

“You two pack the game and we’ll take everything upstairs,” he said and they did just that.

Burt ordered a few pizzas since it was Blaine’s pick and Kurt together with Puck took everything into Blaine’s room, luckily unnoticed. When the delivery arrived they sat around the kitchen table.

“So, Puck, how was shopping with my kid?” Burt asked and took a big bite of his pizza.

“It was disastrous. Just like you said, papa Hummel,” the teen said, looking sad. “I’ve never been tortured this much in my life.”

While the boy was complaining Kurt took his phone out and opened the photo gallery under the table.

“I don’t remember you complaining,” the boy said and showed everyone the photo of Puck in a short grey sparkly dress.

Everyone around the table laughed and Puck ducked his head. “Fine, I may have had a little bit of fun. Not much though, like five minutes tops!”

Kurt showed the rest of the photos, some of them of his own, while Blaine and Burt laughed. “Please, tell me you bought that pink shirt, Puck,” Blaine couldn’t stop staring at the last photo. “You look fabulous in it.”

“I was actually thinking of going back on Monday and buying it for him for Christmas,” Kurt laughed.

“I looked pretty badass in it,” Puck said with his mouth full.

***

After dinner the three boys went upstairs to Blaine’s room, which confused the slave but he didn’t say anything. When they entered Kurt saw surprise on his face when he noticed the bags in his room.

“So, fashion show? Anyone?” Puck suggested and flopped onto the bed.

“What?” Blaine asked confused.

“Princess and I already got our time to shine. It’s your turn,” the boy smirked. “Strip for us, sexy beast!”

“What Noah is trying to say is that we bought these clothes and shoes for you,” Kurt said gesturing towards the bags. “They are not new and I’ll have to wash them just in case but I made sure they are nice. And I got you a few bowties because I think you will look very nice in them. I hope that’s okay…”

“That’s…” Blaine began but couldn’t finish, felt speechless. “You shouldn’t have to–”

“Yes, I should have,” Kurt contradicted him. “You needed some clothes that would properly fit you. And I didn’t spend much so don’t you worry about money, okay?”

“Can I repay you somehow? I don’t know how but–”

“I got an idea,” Puck said and ran out of the room, leaving the other two confused. When he came back he had the guitar in his hand. “You could play something for us.”

Blaine’s eyes widened at the instrument offered to him and he gingerly took it into his hands.

“Happy belated birthday,” Kurt said laughing.

“It was months ago,” Blaine whispered and ran his fingers over the strings carefully.

“That’s why it’s ‘belated’,” the boy laughed and Puck looked at him with curiosity until a knowing smirk appeared.

“So, play for us?” the teen asked and sat down on the bed again.

“I haven’t played for a while… But I’ll try,” Blaine said and rearranged the instrument so he could comfortably play. “I’ll tune it first.”

It took a couple of minutes before the instrument sounded the way it should and Blaine started playing a song that Kurt couldn’t recognise. The slave boy looked as if he was no longer aware of his surroundings, lost in the music, eyes closed and a small smile playing on his face. 


	32. Chapter 32

**December 16, 2012**

It was around two in the morning when Kurt woke up from a nightmare. He relaxed in his bed when he realised it wasn’t real until a strange noise caught his attention. Carefully the boy got out of the bed and opened the door of his bedroom. The sound was coming from downstairs. The laughter seemed familiar so he made his way into the living room without worrying about safety. Just as he thought he found Blaine watching ‘Friends’.

“What are you doing up so late?” Kurt asked and made Blaine jump in his seat.

“God, Kurt, you scared me,” he breathed. “Did I wake you up? I’m so sorry, I thought it wasn’t very loud.”

“It wasn’t loud but you know how well the sound travels during the night,” the boy yawned. “I woke up and heard the voices. Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I didn’t have time to do my tasks yesterday, today… um, yesterday… I’m not sure,” he laughed nervously. “And tomorrow I’ll be busy cleaning so when you went to sleep I decided to read two chapters of my book and watch four episodes so I don’t have to do that tomorrow. Is… is that okay? If I do things in advance?”

Kurt rubbed his heavy eyes. “It’s okay if you want to… But first of all, you aren’t cleaning anything tomorrow because you are still sick. And it was my dad’s fault you had no time before dinner and my fault you had no time afterwards. Come on, let’s go to sleep.”

“But–”

“You can do this all tomorrow. I’d rather you have a good night sleep now.”

“Okay,” Blaine whispered and turned off the TV.

Kurt took his hand and they went upstairs, only releasing the hold when they reached their respective bedrooms.

“Goodnight,” they both said at the same time and parted.

***

Twelve hours later Kurt found himself in Puck’s house, sitting in his small bedroom that was packed with everyone who had come to Kurt’s place a few days ago. Right before everyone else came Mike whispered into his ear that he would want to talk to him afterwards and Kurt only smiled at the boy.

When they all finally settled Lauren gave everyone a photo and Kurt choked when he saw it. “Finn is cheating on Rachel?!”

“Of course not,” the girl rolled her eyes. “Have you forgotten the plan?”

“I didn’t but it just looks so real…” the teen couldn’t help but stare at the photo in disbelief – Finn, still sporting his black eye, even though it had faded a little, was standing in the locker room with some girl; they were kissing. “Who is she?”

“Suzy Pepper – the bottom of the bottom,” Santana smirked. “She is crazy enough to believe that this really happened so she will go with it. This will be the most painful hit to Hudson’s reputation.”

“I’ll go to school early tomorrow and put these photos everywhere,” Puck said. “The janitor is used to seeing me at some random times so he won’t question it.”

“Alright,” Lauren nodded and collected the photos. “I’ll make more copies. There are a few different ones as well to make it more believable.”

“You are a genius,” Puck said lovingly.

“Of course I am. I may have done something more…” she said, a twisted smile on her face. “Since Puckerman couldn’t shut up about kicking Hudson’s ass I hacked into the system and made it look like he had enrolled in the wrestling team in the beginning of the year. He will be forced to attend the McKinley’s competition and guess who he will be against in the first round.”

“Are you serious?” Tina looked at her in disbelief and shortly started laughing. “I’ll have to go see it for myself. Are you sure he will be there?”

“Our club has very strict rules so he will be there,” the girl assured her confidently. “The pain from football will seem like a bee sting when I’m done with him.”

“Good, very good,” Puck smirked. “Santana? Any news from you?”

“Karofsky doesn’t like Hudson being on top so it will be very easy to convince him to slushy him when the right time comes,” the girl said. “Friday, right?”

“Yeah, just let us know in advance so we can set everything beforehand,” Puck reminded her.

“Sure, sure.”

“Tina, Brittany, do you have any good news?”

“Oh yes, we found out some interesting stuff,” Tina said and shared a look with the blonde girl.

The girls shared what they knew with the rest of them and not long after they all decided to go their own ways and get ready for Monday.

Everyone was in a good mood when their meeting was over. Lauren decided to stay until Puck’s mother came back from work, Santana and Brittany went to Lima Bean for a coffee date, and Kurt stood by his car with Mike, having asked Tina for  a couple of minutes of privacy.

“How is Blaine doing?” Mike asked when the girl went to her car.

“He is much better and all thanks to you,” Kurt smiled gratefully at the boy. “I don’t know what you talked to him about but he’s been doing much better with my dad ever since.”

“It’s all his doing, I only gave him some advice,” the boy shrugged.

“My dad has been trying pretty hard to get Blaine to trust him and only after your talk things started going forward. So, thank you for that.”

“That’s alright. Do you think I could come over some time? I’m actually curious about him and maybe he could use a friend? It’s just a suggestion though.”

It sounded like a nice idea since Blaine seemed to like Mike but it was too risky. “Um, you see, I don’t think it’s a good time… He’s still adjusting and stuff… So, yeah, maybe later on?” he offered, not sure if he could ever trust the boy enough to let him in onto their secret. The fewer people knew, the better.

“Oh, it’s okay, really,” Mike smiled. “Not crowding him is a good idea actually. And maybe you will let us text again. I know I could have used a slave friend when I was recovering.”

“Of course, you two can text whenever you want.”

“Cool. Okay, I’ll go now, Tina is waiting. Tell Blaine I say hi,” Mike said and they parted.

When Kurt told Blaine about the conversation with Mike later that day, the slave perked up and spent time texting the boy while Kurt and Burt cleaned the house. Most of the time it distracted the boy from feeling guilty for not helping out.

***

**December 17-21, 2012**

It was the most intense week in Kurt’s life.

On Monday morning Kurt was more cheerful than he usually was on mornings before school. When he parked his car in the parking lot and walked towards the building he heard Rachel complaining.

“I thought we had a deal here, Finn,” she spoke and it took every ounce of his self-control not to look back. “You were supposed to drive me to the concert on Friday and now you are ditching me? Did I do something wrong?”

“God, Rachel, I told you my mom took my car and my driving licence for a month…” the boy retorted irritated. “It’s your fault actually.”

“And how is that my fault exactly?”

“Someone ratted me out to my mom. She didn’t like the fact that I hit smelly-ass. And who told me to do it, huh?”

“Well, tell her you are sorry or something. I don’t want to drive myself,” the girl said when Kurt reached the entrance. “I’ll wait for Mercedes here, you can go to your class.”

Kurt entered the school with a smile – not only did Carole punish Finn, it also got Rachel angry. It was a nice addition to their plan, even if unintentional.

***

“Everyone is talking,” Kurt heard Tina’s voice when he was standing by his locker after the first period.

“I know, right? You should have seen Mercedes’ face when she came to Spanish. Furious!”

“Have you seen Rachel?”

“No but I have English with her next,” the boy said and before he left for the class he saw Tina slipping a piece of paper into Finn’s locker.

He knew exactly what was printed out on it – _That weed you smoked at Karofsky’s party?Tsk tsk, you shouldn’t have done that…_

The boy couldn’t wait to see Rachel. Their plan was to ruin Finn but if the girl got hurt in the process, then so be it. After all, she wasn’t innocent in the whole situation.

Unfortunately for Kurt, Rachel did not come to their shared class. In fact, he didn’t see her until lunch.

When Kurt bought some food in the cafeteria he turned around to find a place to sit. So far he had always been sitting with Mercedes and Rachel but since they were no longer friends he couldn’t sit with them. Not to mention that they were nowhere to be seen.

“Princess, come here,” he heard a too-familiar voice and went to a small table with only Puck and Tina occupying it.

“Where is everyone else?” he asked and sat down.

“Santana and Brittany are at the table over there with jocks and other Cheerios. They never sit with any us,” Tina explained. “Puck usually smokes behind the bleachers but today he joined me for some reason. And Zizes never comes to the cafeteria. Nobody knows where she spends her lunch break.”

“Probably spying on someone,” Puck laughed. “Look, Karofsky and Azimio are coming. This should be fun.”

Kurt looked discretely at two big guys, who sat down in front of Finn. “Hey Hudson, do you want some salt on that? Or do you prefer _pepper_?” the black guy said loudly and Tina told Kurt that one was Azimio.

The two boys high-fived each other as everyone around them laughed. “Did you get bored of sweet berries and decided to _spice things up_?” the other one – Karofsky – added.

“Stop it,” Finn glared at them.

“What are you gonna do, huh? Blind us with your new girlfriend’s fugly face?” Azimio teased him.

“She’s not my girlfriend!” Finn shouted. “Those photos are fake, this never happened! Now leave me alone or you are going to regret it on the football field.”

Before any of the jocks could say anything an angry Rachel ran into the cafeteria and straight to Finn with Mercedes behind.

“How could you, Finn Hudson?!” she yelled. For the girl as small as Rachel she had a strong voice. “You humiliated me in front of the whole school! You… you pig!”

Finn stood up and placed his hand over his heart. “I swear I didn’t do it. Someone played a cruel joke on me. I love you!”

“Well, I don’t care,” Rachel said. “I hate you. If it isn’t clear, I’m breaking up with you. Let’s go ‘Cedes.”

Both girls stormed out, leaving Finn standing alone in the silent cafeteria, everyone shocked by such a short and silly confrontation.

“I love myself a good show during meals,” Puck smirked.

***

The next day two new notes made their way into Finn’s locker. _Stealing from your mother? Tsk tsk, you shouldn’t have done that_ … put there by Puck and _Taking steroids? Tsk tsk, you shouldn’t have done that…_ slipped into the locker by Brittany.

Whenever Kurt saw the jock, he looked more and more worried, his signature smug smile never gracing his face anymore.

When he went into the English classroom that day Kurt found Rachel already sitting in her seat. She noticed him so there was no way he could get out of the conversation without being rude.

“Hey, Rachel,” he said when he sat down in his seat.

“Hi, Kurt,” she said, her voice small. She was obviously upset. “How are you doing?”

“I’m okay… I’m, um, sorry for what happened with Finn,” he said somewhat awkwardly.

“It’s good I found out now, you know?” the girl tried to stay positive. “At least he didn’t fool me for too long. He’s still denying cheating on me but I don’t believe him. He’s a first class jerk.”

“Yeah, well, now you can focus on more important things.”

The girl nodded. “I want to be on Broadway one day. Now I can work towards my dream without anyone weighing me down.”

“You want to go to New York?” Kurt asked. “I’d like to go there as well.”

“One day we will,” Rachel said and waved at Mercedes, who entered the classroom at that moment.

Kurt let them speak amongst themselves.

***

On Wednesday Kurt was walking to the History class he had after lunch together with Tina when they saw Finn arguing with a tall man.

“I didn’t sign up for any club except for the football team,” he reasoned with the man. “I’m not going to any wrestling competition. I know nothing about wrestling.”

“It’s your own fault you didn’t go to practice,” the man scolded him. “I talked to Coach Beiste and she agreed that you should learn some responsibility. If you don’t participate you are off the football team. So, tomorrow after classes I’ll be waiting for you in the gym. Don’t be late.”

Tina hooked her arm in Kurt’s and smiled broadly at him. “It’s such a beautiful day,” she said.

Later that day Kurt threw a small piece of paper with another note into Finn’s locker – _Shoplifting? Tsk tsk, you shouldn’t have done that…_

He knew that others put a couple more since they wanted to throw the jock off balance just enough so his performance during the football match on Friday would reflect his psychological issues. They didn’t expect he wouldn’t be allowed to play at all though, all thanks to Lauren’s brilliance.

Even though they were not allowed to go and see the competition themselves since Lauren told them their coach didn’t want any strangers in the gym watching them, she wasn’t too sad about it because she could always get a tape for them. Still, Puck lurked around the school until Finn left and soon Kurt got a video message with Finn limping towards the bus stop. He laughed out loud and it caught Blaine’s attention.

The boy raised his head from the Calculus problem he had been working on. “What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Oh, just a friend being ridiculous,” he answered and put the phone away. “Did you get twenty three for the part c? This is killing me…”

Blaine looked through his working. “Kurt, I told you, you have to do the brackets first…”

***

It was the lunch time of the last day before the Christmas break when Santana sent out a mass text.

 _Santana_ : finn wont play today cos zizes kicked his ass

 _Santana_ : also beiste says hes too distracted

 _Santana_ : kar and az not happy gonna slushy him after lunch by his locker

“We have five minutes tops,” Puck said. “Okay, princess, go to your locker and pretend to be busy. I’ll hide in the girls’ bathroom. Take him in there. If he gets violent I’ll get you out. Got it?”

“We’ve been through this hundreds times already,” Kurt said as they walked out of the cafeteria. “At least we now know the exact place.”

When they reached the right corridor Puck slipped into the girls’ bathroom unnoticed and Kurt stood by his locker waiting for the jocks to come. Soon Finn was there, taking out the books for his next period.

Kurt watched as Karofsky and Azimio came from behind and tapped on the fellow jock’s shoulder.

“We hear you won’t play today,” Azimio said, holding a big cup of icy drink.

“And we don’t like it,” Karofsky added when Finn turned around.

“Look, guys, I can play but Coach Beiste won’t let me,” Finn said and closed his locker. “It’s not my fault.”

“We don’t care if it’s your fault or not, Hudson,” Azimio cut in. “Welcome to the bottom!”

Before Finn could react two cups of a blueberry slushie drink were dropped on the top of his head and he stood in the blue mess.

Laughing the jocks left and it was Kurt’s cue to do his part. He went to Finn and took him by his arm. “Let’s go, I’ll help you out,” he said and gently guided the boy into the bathroom.

“Fuck, this shit stings my eyes,” the jock cried out.

Kurt turned the water on in one of the sinks and let Finn wash his eyes. When he was done Kurt started washing his hair.

“Why are you doing this?” Finn asked, uncomfortable as the boy he had talked to once in his life was helping him out.

“I’m just a decent human being, helping out a friend…” Kurt said and turned off the cold water, leaving it hot. “Sorry, it may sting but the hot water is better for cleaning out the sticky mess.”

“It hurts,” Finn whined but Kurt didn’t let him move his head.

“I’m sure it hurts less than what that kitten went through when you decided it was a ball you could play soccer with,” Kurt said and grabbed his hair harshly.

“It was you? You put those notes!” the boy said and tried to wiggle out of Kurt’s hands.

“You better stay still,” Kurt warned him, well aware that Finn could kill him with a few punches. “A friend of mine knows everything and if anything happens to me, he will tell people. We don’t want that now, do we?”

Finn stilled, hot water still pouring on his head. “Look, I didn’t want to do it, okay? Karofsky made me. They made me do things that will haunt me for the rest of my life but I had to do them! I had to stay on top.”

“So it was all for popularity?” Kurt asked disgusted. “You can steal, you can hurt others, all because you want to be on top? Well, let me tell you one thing I know about popularity… It takes a long time to climb the social ladder and it takes one careless step or a gentle push to fall. You, my friend, have just fallen, right in front of my feet.”

“What do you want?” Finn asked. “I’ll do anything just don’t tell anyone what you know!”

“Hm, right now I don’t want anything from you… But I’ll be watching you. One mistake and I’ll give all the proofs to your mommy, the principal, and anyone who may be interested in your behaviour.”

“You are bluffing, you don’t have any proof,” Finn accused him but it all sounded weak.

“Try me,” Kurt laughed and released the boy’s head.

Right before he exited the bathroom, he threw Finn’s locket that Puck had found in the factory on the sink.

Little did he know that Puck never planned to forego his initial plan to hurt Finn. A couple of minutes later the mohawked teen exited the bathroom with his right hand knuckles bright red.

Later that evening Kurt cuddled with Blaine watching ‘Little Mermaid’ and fell asleep listening to the boy’s heartbeat. It felt good to finally get back at the monster that hurt his best friend.

***

**December 22, 2012**

Blaine was getting stronger and it was obvious. His face colour reminded of a healthy boy, the coughing was almost gone, his body temperature was back to normal. It wasn’t supposed to happen so soon.

It was Saturday and this time Blaine was allowed to help to clean around the house. They gave him the easiest tasks like dusting but it had a great effect on the boy – he finally felt less like a burden.

They were eating late lunch after cleaning when Blaine brought up the topic of his future. “Um, I… I wanted to thank you for keeping me for this long,” he broke the silence and both Hummels looked at him like deer caught in the headlights. “I think… I think I’m healthy and you said I could leave when I get healthy, right?”

“Don’t do this,” Kurt whispered with fright in his eyes. “You aren’t perfectly healthy yet. You still have a runny nose so you shouldn’t be in the cold or you will get worse again. How, how about you wait until after Christmas? Huh? A couple more days for you to get better.”

“Kurt, I–”

“You just can’t leave now! Let’s make it your Christmas gift for us, okay? A few more days and then you can do whatever you want.”

“What Kurt is trying to say,” Burt looked at his son sternly, “is that we would love you to stay with us for Christmas. If you want you may leave but it would mean a lot to us if you came over on the Christmas Eve. Or, you know, you can stay permanently.”

Blaine looked at Kurt’s pleading eyes. “Okay, I’ll stay until after Christmas,” he said and Kurt mouthed ‘thank you’ to him.

Later that day Puck texted Kurt to tell he was coming over. Burt had gone somewhere without any explanation so it was only him and Blaine, watching TV. They were going to the kitchen to refill their snack bowls when the doorbell rang and Kurt opened it without thinking since he thought it would be Puck. He was wrong.

Both boys froze on the spot when a short girl appeared in front of them with a small present wrapped in dark red paper. “Hi, Kurt,” Rachel spoke, ignorant to the tension. “I just wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas because you were so nice to me this week even if we aren’t friends.”

She extended the gift to the boy and Kurt took it dumbfounded. “I don’t have anything for you,” he said, having not expected anything from the girl.

“I know, it’s okay,” she said and Blaine trying to leave caught her attention. “Wait a second, you got yourself a slave?”

Kurt cursed the central heating that made them wear short-sleeved clothes. “It’s not what you think… He is my aunt’s. Yeah, she came over for Christmas and brought him…”

“Kurt, you are lying,” the girl smiled. “There is no shame in owning a slave, please, don’t be embarrassed. I mean, it’s slightly hypocritical of you after our argument and all but it’s fine. Slave, kneel.”

Kurt stared at her and caught Blaine by his arm when he noticed the movement. “Don’t. Go to my room,” he instructed and waited for the slave boy to disappear. “Don’t you ever talk to him like that!”

“Your slave needs a proper training,” she told him. “I know a good training centre not far from Lima. You could send it there for a couple of weeks and it will be perfectly obedient. How long have you had it by the way?”

“It’s none of your business,” Kurt snapped and threw the gift back at Rachel, who caught it with her fingertips. “You can’t come in and treat others like crap!”

“It’s just a slave, Kurt, don’t get so upset…”

“No, it’s not _just a slave_. It’s a person, a human being. He used to be a teenager like us before someone took him and put in slavery. He used to go to school, he had family and friends. Just because he is a slave, doesn’t mean he is less of a person.”

“But slaves–”

“–are people. Imagine yourself in his place. How would you feel if your parents died or sold you and you became a slave? Every time you order any slave around imagine it was you instead of them.”

“Well, my dads would never–”

“Would never die?” Kurt mocked her. “Just think for a moment. If someone tattooed that ugly black thing around your wrist, would it instantly make you an object, not a person anymore? Can you answer me this?”

“No, I wouldn’t be–”

“You know, I don’t want to hear any of this. Merry Christmas,” he said and slammed the door shut.

He took a few calming breaths and ran up to his room to find Blaine sitting on his bed with his knees up to his chest. The quickly sat down next to him and pulled him into his arms.

“She’s gone, it’s okay,” he whispered.

“I need to leave, she will tell everyone–” he spoke, clutching Kurt’s waist like his life depended on it.

“She didn’t recognise you,” Kurt assured him. “She would have said something or shown in some way. I’m sure she just thinks that I bought you or got your for Christmas or whatever.”

“But what if–”

“She doesn’t know it’s you, stop worrying,” Kurt said gently and kissed the top of Blaine’s head. “Let’s forget her and have a lovely Christmas together, okay?”

“Okay,” Blaine responded but still sounded unconvinced. 


	33. Chapter 33

**December 24, 2012**

Blaine was worried and Kurt could see it. Even Burt told Blaine not to worry after his son told him about their encounter with Rachel. Nevertheless, the slave boy was fidgety and it was driving Kurt insane but he knew Blaine couldn’t control what he was feeling.

On Monday morning Kurt got up uncharacteristically early because he had a lot to cook for the Christmas Eve dinner. Not to mention that their tradition to decorate the house the day before Christmas meant that half of their evening would be spent trying to figure out the nicest way to make the house look festive. At least this year there were three of them so things would go much more quickly.

While the boys worked in the kitchen (Blaine had earned his permission to be in the kitchen, which couldn’t be said about Burt) the man raided their garage and found various tree ornaments as well as some old Christmas lights. When Kurt saw them it finally started to feel like the holiday season.

It was nearing four when Burt came into the kitchen to find Kurt feeding Blaine the cranberry sauce he had made in the morning and kept in the fridge.

“Mm, this is really good, Kurt,” Blaine praised him.

“How is it going, boys?” Burt announced his presence.

“Great, dad,” Kurt said. “We were just finishing with the turkey. Another fifteen minutes or so and it will be ready to go into the oven. Another three or so hours and it will be done.”

“You two did great today,” the man said appreciatively. “So, I was thinking we should get going soon if we still want to get a nice tree. Actually, if we want to get any.”

“I totally forgot…”

“You two go and I will finish with the turkey,” Blaine offered.

“Are you sure?” Kurt asked with an apologetic smile.

The other boy nodded immediately. “Yeah. Also, I think it liked me better than you anyway…”

“It’s dead.”

“Doesn’t change the fact,” Blaine shrugged, making the Hummel men laugh.

“Alright, I’ll go change then,” Kurt said and left.

He changed in a record time and soon they were at the mall where there was a Christmas tree sale in the parking lot. There were still rows and rows of various sized trees standing in pots.

“Let’s find the prettiest one,” Burt said and they started walking around, checking every tree to find the perfect one.

A few minutes later something else caught Kurt’s attention – a familiar voice coming from a few rows away from them.

“I’m giving you a permission to choose,” a female voice said.

“Hey, dad, I think I hear a friend,” Kurt said. “You keep looking and I’ll go say hi, okay?”

“Sure thing, kiddo,” Burt said and continued walking while Kurt went back to where they had come from.

“I don’t understand, Mistress,” a boy said with his head lowered just when Kurt finally saw the duo.

“I order you to look around this place and choose the tree you like the best and I’ll buy it,” the girl said in an authoritative voice. “So go do that and come back when you find one.”

“Yes, Mistress,” the boy bowed and walked away.

When he left Kurt approached the girl. “Hey, Rachel,” he said. Normally he wouldn’t have come to talk to her but he wanted to make amends with the girl – if she knew who Blaine was after all, it would be smart to be on her good side.

“Oh, hi, Kurt,” she greeted the boy warily. “Did you want something?”

“No, not really… I overheard you and wanted to say hi. Also, I wanted to apologise for yelling at you,” he said, the words coming out reluctantly.

“You were right,” the girl sighed. “I had absolutely no right to order around your slave, especially when you don’t like slavery.”

“I’d say it’s okay but it kind of isn’t,” Kurt laughed awkwardly. “I just thought I could make peace with you. It’s Christmas after all.”

“All forgotten,” Rachel said and readjusted her bag on her shoulder. “Um, I’m here with my slave…”

“Yeah, I saw,” the teen looked at her quizzically, wondering why she was suddenly so unsure of herself.

“I let it choose a tree, you know,” she said, for whatever reason proud of herself. “My family is Jewish but I thought Jesse might like having a Christmas tree around.”

“Who is Jesse?”

“My slave,” Rachel gestured towards where the boy had disappeared to. “After… um, when I came back home on Saturday I thought about what you said. I talked to Jesse and it told me it was sold by its parents because it refused to go to a business school. It wanted to go to NYADA. That’s where _I_ want to go. What if my dads didn’t understand my passion? I know they would never sell me but it still scared me. A lot.”

“Wow,” Kurt managed to utter through his shock. “I didn’t see that one coming…”

“Just like you said, I started imagining myself in Jesse’s place and I felt really bad for it. I try to treat it nicely but honestly I have no idea what I’m doing,” the girl bit her bottom lip, looking lost.

“For starters, you could lose the ‘it’ pronoun when talking about _him_ ,” Kurt advised her. “It’s already a step forward that you call him by his name so I’ll give you that. It will take time to break the habit but you should try. The only other advice I can give you is fairly simple – treat him as a friend.”

“Just like that?”

“Yeah. He is no different than any of your friends except that he lives with you. Learn to say ‘please’ to him and actually let him choose what he wants to do and what he doesn’t.”

“Do you treat your slave like that?” the girl asked.

_She doesn’t know, relax and don’t make her suspicious…_

“I do. He is my best friend. We watch movies together, do homework, cook, sing when we feel like it… Sometimes it feels like we are just having one long sleepover.”

“How long exactly have you had it… him?”

“Not very long but we bonded very quickly,” he said and it wasn’t a lie, not really. “He is a nice person so it was easy to become friends.”

“And he is very cute,” Rachel winked at him.

Kurt blushed at that. “I won’t deny it,” he said and his phone went off. “Um, it’s my dad, he probably found a nice tree.”

“Oh, well, you should get going then,” the girl said. “I guess I’ll see you at school after the break.”

“Yeah, Happy Hanukkah, Rachel,” Kurt said with a genuine smile.

“Merry Christmas, Kurt,” the girl said as he walked away.

Burt wasn’t very far so the boy found him easily. The man was standing next to a medium size tree, just up to Kurt’s chest. It was thick but not too thick so the ornaments would hang nicely. In the end Kurt approved and they brought it home where Blaine was waiting for them while cleaning up the kitchen.

“Mm, smells good,” Burt said once they went inside, the man carrying the tree.

“Hey, guys,” Blaine said once he joined them in the living room. “The tree is beautiful.”

“All thanks to my dad. He has a good taste,” Kurt said and went to take off his coat.

Burt placed the tree in the corner. “Yeah, I did all the work while Kurt chatted with some friend,” he mock complained.

“Oh, wait until you hear this,” Kurt said when he came back. “I met Rachel. She was there to buy a Christmas tree _for her slave_. Apparently my words got to her and she is trying to be nicer. It’s hard to believe I actually had such effect on her.”

“She is probably good at heart, she just needed a nudge towards the right direction,” Blaine smiled.

“I don’t know, I wouldn’t say she is good at heart, unless she is hiding it very well,” Kurt snorted. “It also gave me hope that even if she recognised you, maybe she wouldn’t say anything now that she is trying to understand slaves.”

“Don’t go ahead of yourself, buddy,” Burt warned him. “I’m glad she is trying but wait until you see some progress. She might change her mind in a day or two.”

“Don’t rain on my parade, dad,” Kurt said, persistent to keep his joyous mood. “Come on, Blaine, this tree won’t decorate itself.”

***

Decorating the tree wasn’t as fun for Blaine as it was for Kurt. Probably because Kurt had a clear vision of how the tree was supposed to look like. More than once Blaine heard ‘don’t put the red one there, it will clash with the orange one’ and ‘Blaine, careful, you are putting that too close to the other blue and we can’t have them next to each other’. After a few minutes the slave boy gave up.

“How about I hand you the ornaments and you put them where it seems right?” he offered after yet another comment.

“Why? Don’t you like decorating the tree?” the teen asked confused.

“I like it but you are better at this,” he said sheepishly.

It finally dawned on Kurt what he was doing. He was so used to decorating the tree alone (his dad hadn’t earned that permission either) that he didn’t even realised that he started criticising Blaine while they were supposed to be enjoying this activity together.

“Shit, I’m sorry, I can get pretty crazy when it comes to colours and shapes,” he laughed at himself. “How about we finish this together but I’ll keep my mouth shut?”

“Are you sure?”

“Definitely,” Kurt assured him.

“Alright,” Blaine smirked deviously at him. He took a bright yellow ornament and carried it towards an identical one already on the tree, slowly getting closer and closer. “I’m having loads of fun, Kurt.”

Kurt looked nervously as Blaine put the ornament on a small branch and let it hang there. “Don’t– I just… maybe it could… I mean, we could still have fun coordinating the colours nicely, don’t you think? Just a thought, we can leave it there, it’s up to you, I’m fine with it there.”

“Kurt, come one, I know you are not _fine_ with it. I’m sure you want to strangle me for putting it there,” Blaine laughed.

“Well, maybe not strangle, just gently massage your neck…”

“You know what,” Blaine said and took the ornament off the tree, “how about you tell me where each ornament has to go. Then we will be decorating the tree together and you won’t get a stroke.”

“I wasn’t about to have a stroke. You are being dramatic, my good sir,” Kurt joked.

“At least I’m not the one, who paled after seeing two clashing colours. That was end of the world kind of dramatic,” Blaine teased him back.

“I may have expected a little bit more from a gay guy.”

“I’m sorry I don’t have gay super powers.”

“We are lucky I do.”

“Full of yourself much, Hummel?”

“Just calling things by their true names.”

“What would be _my_ true name then?”

They didn’t even notice how close they got. Teasing each other with an easy smile, daring with a playful spark in their eyes. They got so close that Kurt could feel Blaine’s breathing on his skin and it made him shiver. He forgot what Blaine had asked him, the proximity so intense like never before. It would be so easy to lean forward and taste those full lips that were coming closer.

_What…_

“Hey, guys,” Burt’s voice came from the kitchen, “I think the turkey is burning!”

The boys immediately stepped back, not really looking at each other. “We should… um, go,” Blaine said and they ran into the kitchen.

In there they found out that Burt was the most dramatic of all the three because apparently it was a false alarm and their dinner was perfectly fine. Afterwards the boys went back to decorating the tree, Blaine making sure to ask Kurt where he was supposed to put each ornament. When they put the Christmas lights on the tree it looked like those from postcards.

The dinner was not ready until much later. When it was finally ready they ate chatting about random things. They all had a glass of wine to go with food, that being one of the Hummels’ traditions. The boys had very little while Burt poured himself a full glass.

“What are you two going to do now?” the man asked the boys when they were clearing up the table after dinner.

“I was thinking that some Christmas movies would be in order,” Kurt said when he put the dirty dishes in the sink. “I’ll make some hot cocoa to go with them. Do you want some, dad?”

“Not tonight, thanks,” Burt said. “Go to sleep early, otherwise Santa won’t come.”

“Of course,” Kurt laughed and Blaine looked at them confused.

After they were done the boys changed into their pyjamas, and met in Kurt’s room. Blaine brought his pillow and they made themselves comfortable under the duvet with the laptop on their knees. They watched a couple of typical Christmas movies that they already knew by heart and afterwards watched a few specials on youtube. In the middle of ‘Shrek the Halls’ Blaine dozed off with his head placed on Kurt’s chest. The teen turned his laptop off, put it on the nightstand careful not to wake up the other boy, and turned off the light.

Blaine woke up when Kurt lifted himself up a little but didn’t show it. He revelled at the sound of Kurt’s heart beating underneath him. The boy was everything he had ever wanted in another person. He had a huge heart that was beating with love and kindness, he was funny and talented, confident and caring. Not to mention gorgeous. He was everything that Blaine ever wanted and couldn’t have.


	34. Chapter 34

**December 25, 2012**

When Kurt came to consciousness that morning he couldn’t normally breathe. He tried to inhale deeply but it was easier said than done. The boy was about to freak out over his health when something tickled his nose. He finally opened his eyes slightly and was met with the sight of black curls draped all over his chest.

Kurt checked the time on his phone and decided to wake up the boy. He gently ran his fingers through his hair whispering, “Wakey wakey, rise and shine.”

It took some time but soon Blaine was rubbing his face onto his chest, still not fully awake. Kurt laughed at that and the other boy raised his head, startled by the shaky surface.

“Merry Christmas, Blaine,” Kurt smiled at him and Blaine returned a smile.

“Merry Christmas,” he echoed. “I’m so sorry I fell asleep on you, I don’t normally do that.”

“It’s okay,” Kurt said and stretched his body once Blaine lifted off of him. Only then he switched on the light. “We can’t help but cuddle when we are asleep.”

“You must be hurting now,” the slave boy looked at him apologetically and for the first time Kurt noticed a cute blush on Blaine’s face.

“My muscles are a bit stiff but it should go away soon,” Kurt responded and got out of the bed. “I’ll go use the bathroom real quick.”

Just like any other morning they got ready for the day, getting into warm comfy clothes. Nothing was different until Kurt reminded Blaine that it was.

“Let’s go downstairs, presents are waiting to be unwrapped,” he said joyfully, suddenly very excited.

Blaine looked at him and from his posture Kurt could see he was uncomfortable about the matter.

“What’s wrong?”

“Um, well, I didn’t… get anything for you… or your dad,” he said with a blush.

Kurt hadn’t even thought about it. Of course Blaine would think about getting something for them and of course he couldn’t since he was always locked up in the house. Trust this sweetest boy to be so considerate.

Fortunately, Hummels had another tradition that Kurt loved a lot. “What do you mean you didn’t get us anything? It’s Santa, who brings presents, silly.”

“What– Kurt, you don’t need to do this…”

“Do what? What are you talking about?” he insisted. “I don’t know how about you but I was a good boy this year and I’m expecting some presents from Santa. And I’m sure you were good too so what’s the problem?”

“I’m not five, Kurt.”

“And neither am I,” the teenager shrugged and grabbed Blaine’s hand. “Let’s go before my dad opens all the presents.”

Blaine let Kurt pull him down the stairs and they entered the living room together where they found Burt sitting by the tree.

“I thought you would never come here,” the man said and stood up. “Merry Christmas, Kurt.”

“Merry Christmas, dad,” Kurt said and let the man hug him.

“Merry Christmas, buddy,” Burt said to Blaine wrapped his arms around the boy, who surprisingly returned the gesture.

“Merry Christmas, Burt,” he said with a shy smile when he was released from the embrace.

“So,” Burt clapped his hands, “who wants to see what Santa brought us? You do believe in Santa, right, Blaine?”

The boy looked at Kurt, who winked at him, and nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“Great,” Burt said and sat down on the ground, gesturing the boys to follow.

When the boys were seated as well, Kurt took the smallest box and looked at the name on it. “This one is for you, dad,” he said and passed the gift to the man.

“What could this be…” Burt mumbled and tore the gift paper impatiently. The man laughed when he saw what was inside the box – chrome wheel cufflinks. “Oh no, I will have to wear a proper suit with these.”

“For once you will look properly,” Kurt laughed.

“Yeah, well, thank you, Santa, for that,” Burt said looking at Kurt. He took the box closest to him. “Oh look, Santa knew that Blaine was staying with us.”

Kurt smiled when the slave boy shyly took the box that was offered to him. He carefully unwrapped it so that the paper wouldn’t be ruined. When the paper was off, first thing he saw was a small envelope on the top of the box.

“Go ahead,” Kurt encouraged him and Blaine opened the envelope.

Kurt looked at him anxiously while the boy was reading the letter he had written a couple of days ago. He could clearly remember every word of it.

_Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas, Blaine!_

_It’s the magical time of the year again and I’m visiting every nice kid. And I come bearing gifts!_

_Inside the box you will find a mobile phone because everyone needs one these days. I didn’t get you one of those touchy phones because they wouldn’t last a day. Batteries were much longer lasting back in my day…_

_You should know that you can always come over to the Hummels’ house to charge this phone. And stay a night or a week, whatever suits you really._

_I already put Kurt’s, Noah’s, Mike’s, and dad’s numbers. The contract of the phone is for two years and you get unlimited minutes and messages so feel free to talk their ears off and tire their fingers. Especially Kurt’s._

_I hope you like your Christmas present. I’ll see you next year!_

_Santa_

A smile graced Blaine’s face the whole time. He finished reading and looked up at Kurt. “I didn’t know you had a brother, Kurt,” he giggled.

Kurt looked at him confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well, Santa gave me his dad’s number and the only adult I know is Burt so I’m guessing it’s _your_ dad’s number that I got.”

Burt tried hard to look serious when he looked at Kurt’s red face. “Uh, Kurt, I didn't want you to find out this way but I cheated on your mom with Mrs Claus and then Santa was born. I’m really sorry.”

“Oh, well, everybody makes mistakes, right?” Kurt laughed. “I’ll assume that the last present is mine.”

“Wait,” Blaine stopped him. “If you two ever meet Santa, since he is your relative after all, I’d like you to tell him how grateful I am,” he said and his voice became smaller as he tried to keep the tears from falling. “I haven’t been this happy… probably ever, so tell him that I’m forever in his debt.”

“It’s just a phone, kid,” Burt smiled at him. “But I’ll make sure he knows how you feel.”

“Thank you,” Blaine nodded and dried the tears with them sleeve of his cardigan.

“Well, Santa knows everything so I’m sure he already knows these things,” Kurt winked at Blaine. “Now I want my present.”

The teen unwrapped the biggest box as carefully as Blaine had before and opened the lid to reveal a large foldaway sewing kit.

Kurt literally squealed upon seeing it. “Oh my god, I wanted this so bad!”

“Santa must have read that message you sent me about it,” Burt laughed.

“Santa is definitely the best,” the boy beamed. “Come on, Blaine, let’s go play with our presents.”

“Not so fast, breakfast first,” Burt insisted much to Kurt’s displeasure.

***

The three of them spent the entire day together in the living room, Burt sitting on the armchair and the boys sitting on the floor. They watched Christmas specials on TV while Blaine tried to figure out the settings of his new phone and texted Puck and Mike Christmas greetings. In the meantime Kurt was working on something with his new sewing kit, not allowing anyone get too close to him so they couldn’t see what it was.

When the evening came there was nothing good on TV according to Burt and Blaine offered to play the guitar for them. They ended up having a little concert, all three singing Christmas songs. Blaine had to admit that he sounded better with Kurt alone but Burt singing along with them was pretty amusing.

“Do you know any of _Mellencamp‘s songs?” Burt asked when they finished singing ‘Let It Snow’._

_“Dad,” Kurt glared at him._

_“What’s wrong with Mellencamp, son?” the man asked innocently and Blaine looked confused at them._

_“I’m sorry I don’t know any songs but I’m a quick learner.”_

_“You are so not learning any of those songs,” Kurt warned him. “I’ll go make some hot cocoa.”_

_The boy left and Burt muttered, “Bossy.”_

_Blaine snorted at that. “I could learn some songs for you if you want.”_

_“Nah, I was just teasing him,” Burt replied. “Kurt had a phase once when he tried to pretend he was straight and sang a Mellencamp song. I don’t remember which one but it was scary.”_

“I’m sure Kurt can pull off any song. His voice is unique,” Blaine said in awe. “Those high notes he hits are something else.”

“He’s definitely one of a kind,” Burt replied.

After a couple of minutes Kurt came back with a small tray that held three big mugs of hot liquid with many tiny marshmallows on top. Blaine had never had such delicious cocoa before.

After a while Burt excused himself saying ‘nature is calling’ and left the boys alone.

“All done,” Kurt said proudly and crawled over to Blaine. “Get that guitar out of my way.”

Blaine smiled ant put it on the couch. When he did so Kurt extended his hand and the slave looked at what was in front of him. It was an average size light purple bow tie with small Santas and snowflakes.

“I thought you would look adorable in it,” Kurt said with a blush when Blaine took it from him. “I had some material leftover so I thought I could use it on this.”

“Wow, it’s so cute, Kurt, thank you,” Blaine said and put it on. “How do I look?”

“Dashing,” Kurt complimented him. “Um, you know how you were worried about not getting anything for us for Christmas? Well, the concert is an amazing gift, really. And also… I was wondering if maybe… you would sleep with me tonight?” he asked and started freaking out when the words left his mouth. “I mean, like _sleep_ sleep, like what we did last night. Not _that_ kind of sleep where there is no sleeping involved.”

“Kurt, are you having inappropriate thoughts?” Blaine laughed. “But seriously, that’s fine, I can sleep with you. Just… can I ask you why you want that? I almost suffocated you last night.”

“Okay, this will sound weird but I want to feel you close to me? Um, this didn’t come out right. What I meant was that there is a chance that you’ll be leaving us soon and I just wanted to make more beautiful memories with you. You sleeping so far from me is not a nice memory at all.”

“I understand,” Blaine nodded slowly, thinking hard about something. “Kurt… if you and your dad still want me I… I would love to stay,” he finally said.

Blaine wasn’t ready for what came afterwards. Suddenly he was lying on the floor with Kurt on top of him between his thighs and his arms protecting his head from the solid ground.

“Oh god, this is the best Christmas present ever!” Kurt shouted and it made Blaine smile.

He rested his hands on Kurt’s sides. “I don’t want you to be worried about me. I’ll do all the chores now that I’m healthy. I know how much it costs to support another–”

“Don’t even think about it, kid,” Burt’s firm voice came from the doorway. “Money is not an issue and we are very happy to have you here. You just saved our sanity, that’s for sure.”

Kurt got off Blaine and helped him sit up. “We could get a dog so Blaine doesn’t feel lonely when I’m at school and you are at work, dad. I always wanted a puppy.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure about that,” the man laughed. “I’ll be back in a second.”

More than one second later Burt was back with a piece of paper in his hands. He brought it to Blaine and gave it to him. The boys looked at it to see the list of rules and punishments.

“If you are staying here I want you to not only be treated like a free person but also to feel like one,” Burt explained. “I want you to tear it up.”

And so he did. He tore it piece by piece, every drag of paper reminding him that he was no longer alone in this world. He was cared for and now instead of hatred he was getting love. By the time he was all covered in small bits of paper Blaine was openly sobbing into Kurt’s shoulder and for the first time it was about something good.

_Best Christmas ever…_


	35. Chapter 35

**January 2, 2013**

The school break ended before Kurt even noticed. Probably because for the first time since he and his dad moved back to the States he felt truly happy. Although, not immediately after the holidays.

Right after Christmas Blaine seemed to become upset quite often and clutch to his locket with a thoughtful look on his face. He even brought Mr Honey to his room and slept with it. Kurt didn’t comment on any of that, instead, he made sure to be there for him whenever the other boy needed comfort. Soon those sad moments became more and more rare.

Afterwards Blaine was becoming more at ease with each passing day. He would joke around with Kurt, sometimes tease him. Inappropriate remarks became somewhat normal between the boys. It finally began to feel like they were really just roommates.

Burt felt the change as well. The slave boy was still a bit wary around him but when Blaine asked him if he would like to watch a game together, the man felt like their relationship was going towards the right direction.

Another person who noticed the changes was Puck, who was more often at the Hummels’ house than not. One evening before leaving he apologised to Kurt for ever doubting him. It was the biggest compliment the teen had ever received.

Kurt argued with Blaine a lot. The reason for that was redecorating the guest room. The slave was fine with the way it looked and didn’t want Hummels to spend another dollar on him but Kurt was adamant – he wanted the room to reflect Blaine’s personality. Hence, the arguing. A lot of it. In the end Kurt stopped showing Blaine colour schemes or furniture online. He could make all the decisions on his own.

Now that Blaine had his own phone he always carried it with himself wherever he went and kept praising Santa for being so amazing and thoughtful. And he was texting all the time. When Kurt asked who he was texting to Blaine told him it was Mike and from then onwards all he heard was ‘Mike this’ and ‘Mike that’. It made Kurt a little bit jealous but seeing that conversing with another slave was helping Blaine a lot, he didn’t mind it.

Not that Kurt wasn’t kept busy on his phone. Every day he could expect calls and texts from one and only Rachel Berry, who decided to make Kurt her new best friend. As well as the ‘slave mentor’ as she called him one day. The teenager would have been annoyed with such a clingy friend if it wasn’t for her efforts to become a better person.

On the bright side, he finally found a person he could freely talk about his feelings for Blaine to. He got permission from his dad to share some of the story with his best friend back in Paris and so he spent one afternoon talking things out. He only left out the part where they were illegally keeping Blaine even though he trusted Gérard with his life.

From the talk with his friend Kurt hoped to hear ‘go for it’ but unfortunately for him, his friend had the same opinion as his dad – wait until Blaine makes a move. The teenager wanted to argue that Blaine was leaning towards him as if to kiss on Christmas Eve but later he dismissed it as a result of Christmas cheer and his wild imagination. He also laughed hard when Blaine jokingly suggested being each other’s New Year’s kiss. In the end he was back to square one.

But Kurt didn’t let the small things bring him down. He cherished every moment with Blaine and seeing him getting better was making him the happiest person in the world.

The boy was grinning widely when he texted Blaine upon arriving at school the first day after the break. Not even the idea of having to sit boring classes could dampen his mood, not when the slave boy texted him sweet encouraging messages from time to time.

The first half of classes went by pretty quickly. Mercedes was in a strange mood and didn’t pay much attention to him, which wasn’t a bad thing. Later on Rachel was much worse, acting like they were best friends, earning Kurt a glare from the other girl. By the end of English he was surprised he was still alive. Luckily Mercedes didn’t have the ability to kill with her stare.

When the lunch time came Kurt stood in the cafeteria feeling a bit lost. He saw Rachel sitting at a table with Mercedes and waving at him. On the other side Tina was sitting by herself, not paying attention at anything but her food. After a moment Kurt shrugged at Rachel and went to the Asian girl, whom he had been sitting with for the whole week before the break. Just because he and Rachel were fine now didn’t mean he would leave Tina alone.

When he approached the girl she looked up and smiled at him. “Hey, Kurt, how was Christmas?”

Kurt sat down in front of the girl. “It was great, thanks for asking. How was yours?”

“Well, we celebrate Christmas only for presents and since I got some neat stuff it was great too,” she said.

“It was good to be away from school,” the boy continued the conversation. “I wasn’t looking forward to coming back.”

“Agreed,” the girl nodded. “Especially not when we are having that History test after lunch. Did you memorise all dates?”

“I did,” Kurt exclaimed proudly. “I had a friend helping me out so it wasn’t too bad.”

“It always helps me to study with Mike too,” Tina nodded. “Talking about your friend… He’s been talking to Mike quite a lot lately.”

“We got a phone for him for Christmas. Um, is it bothering you? Because I can ask him to stop,” Kurt offered reluctantly. He knew that Blaine would be devastated if he was no longer allowed to talk to Mike.

“Oh no, god, no…” the girl protested. “I’m totally okay with them talking. But seeing how close they got I was thinking maybe we could all hang out sometimes? You know, not necessarily go out. Maybe you two could come over to my place this weekend. Mike and I would love to meet him.”

“Oh, that’s… that sounds good,” the boy stuttered, “but, you see, he isn’t well enough… to go anywhere. He still has a cold and all. Winter stuff…”

“Really?” Tina’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “He told Mike he was healthy now…”

“Oh, well, it’s… typical him,” Kurt rolled his eyes playfully. “He never wants others to worry about him so he says he is fine and then sneezes into a tissue.”

“I get it. Mike is exactly the same! This one time he hurt his arm but kept saying it was alright until he couldn’t stand the pain anymore.”

“That’s why they became such good friends in such a short time – they are very alike,” Kurt smiled, glad that his excuse worked.

“True. Just let me know when he is better and we can arrange something, alright?” Tina insisted and Kurt had a feeling she wouldn’t give up easily.

“Of course,” he assured her, already trying to come up with future excuses.

“Good. Do you have everything you need for the class?” the girl asked when she finished eating.

“No, I was planning to go to my locker after I’m done eating,” Kurt responded.

“I’ll wait for you then.”

***

The last class he had was Kurt’s favourite – Home Economics. Since it was the first time they met after the break their teacher decided to check if they still remembered everything so she gave a small test to cook anything they had done already. Kurt skimmed the list they were allowed to choose from for that day and smiled widely when he saw that chocolate chip cookies were on the list. Blaine had told him he liked them the first time Kurt baked them in class so he was sure he would enjoy them again.

After the class was over Kurt texted the slave boy saying he had a surprise for him and put a box of hot cookies into his bag. He was about to walk out of school when someone grabbed his arm. The boy turned back to see Finn.

“Can we talk?” the jock asked and released Kurt’s arm.

“What do you want to talk about?” Kurt asked faking confidence. Now that Puck wasn’t anywhere near it was intimidating to be standing next to the tall teen.

“It’s kind of private,” Finn said looking around. “Look, I know you have leverage over me so I won’t do anything to you. I just want to talk. You have my word.”

“Your word doesn’t mean anything to me,” Kurt snorted. “But you got my curiosity. We can talk.”

“Thanks,” Finn said and entered the locker room with Kurt in tow. He quickly looked around to see that nobody was there. “It’s about our parents.”

“What about them?” Kurt asked surprised that Finn even knew about Carole and his dad.

“Burt is your dad, right? He also came from France not long ago.”

“Yes, he is. And Carole is your mother as far as I know.”

Finn nodded. “Do you know they have been dating?” he asked and Kurt nodded. “And then they stopped. Do you have anything to do with that?”

Kurt looked at the jock confused. “Why would I?”

“Because it sort of happened around the time you started coming after me. So I thought that maybe you talked your dad into ditching my mom.”

“Why–”

“Look, man, I don’t like you, you don’t like me, but let’s leave our parents out of it, okay? I haven’t seen my mom as happy as she was when she came back from the date with your dad for a long time. I just want her happy and I don’t want to be the reason why she is depressed again.”

“Believe me or not but the world isn’t spinning around you,” Kurt said. “My dad made that decision by himself. I’m sure your mom is a nice lady. I actually met her once at her work and she seemed nice. But I can’t talk my dad into dating her if he doesn’t want to anymore. I actually tried to talk to him because he seemed to enjoy her company but he has always been stubborn.”

“So this has nothing to do with me, right?”

“Right.”

“Oh good,” Finn immediately perked up. “I’ll get going now.”

Kurt watched him go away with a judgemental look. This guy was the most selfish person he had ever met.

The boy was about to leave when he heard steps coming from the showers. He looked that way to see another jock coming out of the shadows. He was tall and bulky, wearing the letterman jacket as always. He remembered Tina telling him this one was called Karofsky.

“Hey there, French fry,” the boy smirked and Kurt felt like fleeing from there.

“Is that the best you’ve got?” he snorted.

“Say, how is Blaine doing?” Karofsky asked innocently.

Kurt’s eyes widened and he felt like his heart was about to stop. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening.

“I’m sorry, what?” he tried to look disinterested.

“Don’t play with me,” Karofsky threatened him. “I heard that Berry chick talking to Jones. Dark curly hair? Light brown eyes? Short? Sounds like someone we both know.”

“You got something wrong,” Kurt shrugged nonchalantly even though his heart was beating like crazy now. He’d rather be getting beaten up by Finn in that moment.

“Cut the bullshit, I know you have him,” the jock growled. “One anonymous call to police and I will know for sure. Or… you could cooperate.”

Kurt swallowed audibly, weighing his options. He could continue pretending and Karofsky would call the police. Maybe he would be able to warn Blaine and he could run away and hide in time. He would probably never see him again. On the other hand, if police came to their house and found Blaine there, his dad would go to jail and the slave boy would have to leave anyway. Maybe, if he listened to what Karofsky wanted to say to him, there was a chance they could avoid all that. After all, even if Karofsky knew for sure that they had Blaine, Kurt would be able to warn the boy in time. The truth was the best call.

“What do you want?” he asked after a few moments.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” the jock grinned and came closer, successfully crowding Kurt’s personal space.

“What do you want?” Kurt repeated, this time with a bit more force.

“I want… you,” the boy smiled, his eyes going straight to Kurt’s lips.

“I– What… what do you mean?” the boy took a step back but was stopped by strong hand on his hips. “Let me go!”

“Shhh… You don’t want anyone to hear us, do you? I’m sure Blaine wouldn’t want that…”

Kurt stood still after the warning. “What… what do you mean you want me?” he asked, his voice a little shaky.

Karofsky’s hand found his check and caressed it gently. “You are really pretty,” he purred in a low voice. “I bet your lips are as soft as they look. I bet they are delicious.”

“I didn’t know you were gay,” Kurt blurted out.

“I’m not,” Karofsky’s eyes darkened. “I just have a certain… interest in you. And you will help me to take care of it. If you don’t, you will say goodbye to your daddy. So what do you say?” he asked and his face was incredibly close now.

“Please, don’t–”

“Begging won’t get you anywhere,” Karofsky said softly. “Now, tell me, do we have a deal?”

Kurt looked at him but didn’t see the boy that was in front of him. He saw his dad shouting together with Blaine when their favourite team won. He saw Blaine sleeping soundly in his arms. He saw his dad making breakfast for both of them that morning.

And then he saw his dad being taken by police and Blaine being kicked out of their house. He could prevent it all from happening.

“Yes,” he whispered. “We do.”

Karofsky’s smile was the last thing he saw. Kurt closed his eyes right before their lips touched.


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: a non-graphic dub/non-con in this chapter (no more than a few seconds of frottage)

**January 2, 2013**

Kurt‘s mind was going a mile a minute. His instincts told him to step back, to fight against the strong hold on his hips but all he did was standing there obediently while Karofsky kissed him sloppily.

“Kiss me back,” the jock growled at his lips and Kurt complied.

The boy had to put all his strength into not throwing up as their lips moved together. He moaned in pain when the other boy bit his bottom lip hard.

“You like it,” Karofsky smiled into the kiss. “Open up, want to taste your mouth.”

Kurt’s eyes flew open at the request and he hesitated a second too long. The jock’s hand grabbed his jaw and Kurt couldn’t help but open his mouth due to the pain. Karofsky used this opportunity to shove his tongue into the teen’s throat.

It could be seconds or minutes later that the jock pulled away, leaving Kurt’s breathless.

“I’ll be coming for more,” Karofsky promised and left Kurt alone in the locker room.

The boy made his way into the bathroom and made it just in time before throwing up. He could still feel the taste of the jock’s mouth, he could still feel his tongue sliding next to his. His dried-out spit was still covering Kurt’s mouth and the smell of sweat was overpowering. Just thinking about it made Kurt dry heave a few minutes longer.

When the boy was sure he could safely make it home without any stomach accidents, he washed his face and drove home, the images of what had just happened never leaving him.

Only when he entered his house did he finally feel safe. It was warm and welcoming and most importantly it had Blaine waiting for him with a huge smile.

“Ku-urt, you are later,” he whined jokingly when Kurt entered the kitchen with a fake smile plastered on his face where Blaine was reading the newspaper. “You teased me with a surprise and then you decided to not come home on time. It’s unfair!”

Blaine acting so childishly made Kurt feel warmer inside but not enough to make him feel better. “But now the surprise will be even nicer so you don’t get to complain,” he forced a laugh, relieved to hear that it sounded natural enough.

“Well, what is it? I’m dying here!” Blaine exclaimed excitedly and Kurt thanked all the powers for the tease text he had sent earlier, which turned the slave, who was normally quite observant, into a clueless five-year-old.

Kurt put his bag on the kitchen table and opened it. Blaine quickly peeked inside and followed Kurt’s every move when the boy took the box out of the bag and put it in front of him.

The slave boy inhaled deeply and his eyes lit up. “Is it…?”

“It is,” Kurt nodded and watched Blaine open the box with excitement.

“Oh my god, Kurt, these are amazing,” he said before even trying the cookies.

“Try first, maybe they aren’t as good as before.”

“I’m sure they are just as good or even better,” Blaine said and took a bite of a warm cookie. “Mm, this is amazing! You are the best cook ever.”

Kurt tried to smile but instead his face turned into a pained mask as Blaine’s moan reminded him of the sounds Karofsky made while kissing him. He didn’t want Blaine to see his face as the risk of him noticing something was too great.

“I’ll get you some milk,” he said turned away from the slave.

“You know, your lips are like dark red. Looks like you’ve been kissing someone,” Blaine laughed.

Kurt froze not knowing what to say. He didn’t want to lie but he couldn’t tell the truth either. And before he could even react his silence was good enough for an answer.

“It’s because you _have_ been kissing someone…” the slave said slowly. The observant boy was back. “Um, any boyfriend I should know about?”

Kurt took the milk out of the fridge before answering. “No… not really,” he managed to keep the façade while he felt sick in his stomach again.

“But you _are_ seeing someone…”

“You can say so,” Kurt opted to say while pouring milk into a glass with shaky hands.

“Oh, well… I’m happy for you,” the boy said and took the glass from Kurt. “Thanks.”

The teen only smiled at Blaine’s words as he couldn’t think of any other response.

“Do you want to gush over the guy?” the slave offered somewhat strained.

Kurt shook his head. “No, I’m… not feeling well. I think I’ll go take a nap,” he said, feeling like he was about to break down any moment.

“You do look pale,” Blaine commented on his looks. “Go get some rest and if you need anything just let me know, okay?”

“Cuddles maybe?” Kurt joked hopefully.

Half of him wanted to be left alone but the other half screamed for a warm Blaine’s embrace where he could feel sheltered from the rest of the world. The latter side of him was stronger and even though he didn’t want to cry in front of the other boy, he couldn’t help but want the comfort that the slave boy could offer.

“Oh,” the slave squirmed uncomfortably. “I don’t… now that you are seeing someone… I don’t think we should, you know, be so touchy-feely.”

“Oh, yes, of course, you are right,” Kurt nodded and left without another word.

In the privacy of his bedroom the boy let himself cry. He was glad that Blaine refused him the cuddles. He didn’t deserve to be exposed to the dirt that was all over Kurt now.

***

**January 8, 2013**

Karofsky was true to his word – he did come for more. Every day at school he would find a way to get Kurt alone in a private place, be it an empty classroom or a janitor’s closet. Every time he would remind Kurt why they were doing it and each time Kurt’s mind accepted the deal with more ease.

It was still hard. At first he thought he was doing it for his dad and Blaine. Then he realised that he was doing it because it was all his fault and this was his punishment for messing up. He was the one who let Rachel into his house and let her see Blaine. If it wasn’t for him, Karofsky wouldn’t have found out about the stray slave living with them. Once again Kurt fucked up and had to make it right no matter the cost.

The fear of someone, especially his dad or Blaine, finding out was always there with him everywhere he went. Even in his sleep he wasn’t safe. He would be kissing Karofsky and out of nowhere Blaine would appear and start calling him a whore, a slut. He knew that the real Blaine wouldn’t say that but what if he would secretly think he was just a cheap toy anyone could use? He would lose his best friend and he didn’t want that to happen. He had to make sure to not give himself away.

That’s why he became more distant with Blaine and his dad – there was a smaller chance of them suspecting anything. Which was a wrong approach, Kurt found out soon. One evening he overheard the duo talking about him and the change in his demeanour.

_“Burt?” Kurt heard Blaine’s timid voice. “Could I have a word with you?”_

_“Sure, kid, what’s up?”_

_“It’s… Kurt. I’m worried about him.”_

_“Join the club. He seems weird to you too?”_

_“Yes… He doesn’t really talk to me anymore. And when he does it’s all rushed. I was thinking maybe he told you something?”_

_“He didn’t and I didn’t ask. Normally if there is something bothering him he would come to me so I’m still waiting. Do you have any idea what’s going on?”_

_“I, um… I was thinking maybe… he changed his mind about me? Maybe he doesn’t want me here anymore and that’s why he is so cold to me. And it’s okay, really, I can leave if he’s not comfortable around me anymore. I will give you your ring back and all. I just want Kurt to be comfortable in his own house.”_

_“Blaine, calm down. Nobody is kicking you out, okay? And now that you agreed to stay I’m not letting you leave without a fight. As for Kurt, when I first talked to him about inviting you to stay with us, I told him that it was a permanent offer. I told him that even if you two got into a fight, he would not have the right to kick you out. He agreed. Now, if he has a problem with you he will have to get over it because you are staying.”_

_“But–”_

_“I’ll talk to him, okay?”_

Later that evening Burt asked Kurt if he had a problem with Blaine. Kurt pretended to be clueless and assured his dad and he and Blaine were doing fine. His dad didn’t buy it so Kurt made sure to act a little bit more normal. After all, he didn’t want the slave boy to leave, not after what he had been through in order to keep him safe with them.

Kurt was doing better not only with the act around other people but also with Karofsky. After their fourth ‘meeting’ Kurt didn’t throw up for the first time. He called that victory.

Another victory, only on the jock’s side, was that nobody had seen them yet. It was surprising how they got away with it for so long. Secretly Kurt wished that someone would see them. Maybe if Karofsky’s secret got out he would be too busy dealing with it. Or maybe he would be angry enough to rat him and his dad out despite Kurt keeping his side of the deal.

There were so many ‘what if’s’ that the boy was lost. He was sure that the best way was to let Karofsky do whatever he wanted and keep his mouth shut. There was no need for anyone to know that he was being blackmailed. He could deal with Karofsky. He could, until he couldn’t anymore.

It was Tuesday and Kurt found himself lazily kissing the jock in an empty classroom. Everything went the same way as always – Karofsky taking the lead while Kurt mindlessly moved his lips. The teen got quite good at separating his mind and body so he could escape what was happening. He was thinking about his English essay when a rough squeeze on his ass made him yelp.

“You look so good in these jeans,” the jock moaned and pressed their bodies closer so that Kurt could feel his erection. “Can you feel how good you make me feel, huh?”

“Oh god, stop,” Kurt started hyperventilating feeling his own cock hardening at the friction as Karofsky started to slowly move his hips.

“This is not enough anymore,” Karofsky ignored his plea. “I want more.”

“No, don’t,” Kurt tried to push the other boy away but he wasn’t strong enough. “I don’t want–”

“Do you want your dad in prison then?” the jock asked, stilling his movements.

Kurt shook his head quickly.

“Now this is what’s going to happen. I will go to the parking lot. You will come out in two minutes. Then you will follow my car to my house and we will have some fun. Got it?”

“I–”

“If not, I’ll be calling the police,” the boy interrupted and exited the classroom with his jacket covering the front.

Kurt watched him leave and as soon as he was alone he fell apart. His legs gave in and the boy ended up sitting on the floor, his back pressed to the wall. So many thoughts ran through his head that he could no longer keep up with them. He could only cry into his knees that were pressed tightly to his chest.

He thought he could do it, go through with Karofsky’s plan. What he didn’t know was how far the other boy wanted to take things. Kissing was terrible but it was something Kurt could deal with. Now the jock wanted more and he just couldn’t do it. He wanted to protect his dad and Blaine but he couldn’t do what the jock wanted from him. He was too weak.

“Kurt?” he heard a soft voice when the door opened widely. He didn’t need to look up to know it was Rachel.

“I can’t,” Kurt sobbed more to himself than the girl.

“What can’t you do?” the girl asked, her voice filled with worry. “Kurt, what’s going on?”

“I can’t protect him… them… oh god, I want to but I can’t,” the boy’s sobs became hysterical.

Rachel was lost. She stroked the boy’s arm awkwardly and tried to ask more questions but it seemed that the boy couldn’t hear her at all.

“I’ll get some help, okay? Wait here for me,” she whispered and ran into the corridor.

It was the end of school and most students were gone together with teachers who didn’t make it a habit to stay behind. Nevertheless she had to try.

The girl rounded the corner just a little too fast and collided with a strong body.

“Watch where you’re going, Berry,” Lauren from the wrestling team threatened her.

Rachel took a step back and was about to apologise when she saw that Lauren was not alone. “Puckerman! I need your help.”

“Fuck off,” Puck snorted and walked passed her.

Rachel turned around and started walking by his side. “It’s not for me. Kurt, he is… he is crying and muttering something about not protecting someone and it’s all scary and I have no idea what to do! And you two–”

“Where is he?” Puck cut her off.

“I’ll show you,” she said and started running in small steps as her high heels didn’t allow moving faster.

When the teens made their way into the classroom they found a small figure crying silently, with his shoulders shaking violently as if he was trying to hold back.

“Princess, it’s me, Noah,” Puck said shaking Kurt’s body. “Talk to me.”

“I can’t… he wants to… and I can’t… sex, no… oh god, please, Blaine… and dad… can’t…”

“What the fuck?” Lauren looked questioningly at Rachel who was equally confused.

“I don’t know. I found him like this. Should we call someone?”

“No,” Puck responded quickly. “Come on, talk to me. What’s going on?”

Kurt raised his head and met Puck’s eyes. “He knows… and he will tell… I tried to stop him but he wants too much… I can’t do it. I can’t save Blaine… and dad… they will take him…”

“Who knows?”

Kurt wiped his nose onto his sleeve not caring about the mess. “Karofsky…” he choked out.

“What did he do?” Puck asked, anger shooting through his body.

“He told me to kiss him… he said… police… now… more… can’t,” Kurt said pulling at his hair.

Rachel was the first to catch up. “Kurt... did Karofsky blackmailed you into… _making out_ with him?” she asked carefully.

Kurt didn’t respond, he only cried harder.

“That son of the bitch!” Puck yelled and started running towards the door when his body was shoved onto the ground and he felt a heavy weight on top of him.

“Calm the fuck down,” Lauren said forcefully into his ear. “Karofsky has most likely left the school by now and Hummel needs you now.”

Puck let out a strangled noise and forced himself to calm down at least marginally. “Get off me, I won’t do anything stupid.”

Lauren lifted herself up off him and helped him to stand up. In the meantime Rachel was trying to sooth Kurt, who was now frantically looking for his phone.

“I need to warn Blaine, need to call dad,” he spoke to nobody in particular.

“Princess, listen to me,” Puck said when he ducked in front of the boy. “Try to calm down, okay? We will take you home and call your dad, alright? We will sort this out. And don’t worry about Karofsky, he’s a dead man now.”

“I came to school with my car,” Rachel chimed in. “I can take us all to Kurt’s.”

Puck looked at both his girlfriend and the Berry chick. It was too dangerous for them to see Blaine since they could recognise him. On the other hand, they were already doomed if Karofsky talked and he was sure that the jock would. Besides, there was no way he could get rid of the girls and they were short on time.

“Okay, fine. Let’s go.”

***

Blaine was having a shitty day. Actually, it had been a shitty week. Kurt hardly talked to him anymore, always pretending to have a lot of homework. Homework that they used to do together before the sudden change in the other boy. Now they spent most of the time in their respective rooms. It was unnerving.

After his talk with Burt Kurt started talking to him a bit more and Blaine had a feeling that Burt had something to do with it. Despite that whenever they talked it seemed that Kurt’s mind was somewhere far away and all the slave boy wanted to do was shake him and yell pleading to talk to him. He doubted it would work though.

Nights were just as bad. He used to have nightmares from his past about the slave training and numerous times he had been beaten up. Now a new nightmare found its way into Blaine’s mind. He would see Kurt being pressed to a wall by a faceless man, kissing him, making him feel good. Kurt would moan into the kiss and Blaine’s mind would go crazy as he couldn’t do anything in the dream, he could only watch as someone else got to be with Kurt. After such dream Blaine would wake up with an aching heart. Now that Kurt had someone, someone who might turn into a real boyfriend, he lost the last hope. Not that he had a chance anyway but it used to be a nice daydream.

Tired of the current situation Blaine decided to take matters into his own hands. Meaning that he would do something nice to Kurt and try to talk to him, like really try without giving up after Kurt brushed him off yet again. For the first time he had to be the one to take the initiative and try to figure out a way to help his friend.

He was sure that Kurt would want to take a nap after school which had become a norm so he knew he would have some time to plot some evening activity that would allow them to talk.

Blaine was in the middle of brainstorming when he heard the door unlock.

“Hey, Kurt, how was–” he said coming into the corridor to meet Kurt when he saw the group of teenagers there. “Puck, what’s going on?”

Puck was about to respond but first Blaine got an armful of Kurt.

“I’m sorry,” he heard Kurt’s broken voice as he sobbed into his neck.

Blaine felt the other boy shaking with sobs in his arms and tightened his hold on Kurt.

“What’s going on? Somebody tell me!” he looked at Puck sternly.

“Let’s go into the living room,” Puck sighed, which left the slave boy even more anxious.

Blaine helped Kurt out of his boots and the coat and they all went into the living room where the slave situated Kurt onto the couch, never letting him go.

“Sorry,” Kurt kept muttering.

“It’s okay, Kurt, everything is okay,” Blaine said softly, running his hand over Kurt’s back. “Please, someone talk to me.”

Puck looked at the girls who looked curiously at the boys on the couch. There was no use to hide anything anymore. “One guy at school found out about you. And he blackmailed Kurt.”

Blaine’s eyes widened in surprise. “How long has this been going on?”

“We don’t know,” Rachel answered.

“Kurt,” the slave boy cupped his cheek and made him look at him. “How long?”

“Since… after break,” the boy admitted, not looking into Blaine’s eyes. “I’m sorry…”

“Shh, you have nothing to be sorry about,” Blaine said and let Kurt lower his head onto his chest again. “Can you tell me what he made you do?”

“He,” Kurt hiccupped, “I’m sorry, I didn’t want… I swear, I didn’t… I’m not a whore, please…”

Rachel saw Kurt’s distress and decided to help him out. “From what Kurt’s been saying we figured the guy made him make out with him,” she looked questioningly at her other classmates for support.

“And apparently today he wanted more,” Lauren added.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t…” Kurt started but Blaine stopped him.

“No apologies, Kurt, you did nothing wrong, you are not at fault here,” he said gently. “And god you are _not_ a whore, you hear me? You are the most selfless person I have ever met. Please, don’t let that monster make you think you are anything but wonderful.”

At the same time Blaine tried not to start screaming. It was all his fault that this sweet loving boy was crying onto his chest. If he had left after Christmas this wouldn’t have happened. He was so selfish and now the other boy was suffering from it, had been suffering for more than a week now.

“He will talk… Karofsky will call the police and–”

Blaine’s body stiffened at the name. “Karofsky?”

“Dave Karofsky,” Puck explained. “I didn’t even know he was gay.”

“He said he wasn’t,” Kurt said. “Don’t… out him. Nobody deserves to be outted… Not even him…”

“Are you serious right now?” Puck raised his voice. “The guy practically molested you and you are protecting him?!”

“I let him do it,” Kurt said in a small voice and Blaine kissed the top of his head to show that he was there for him.

“God, Kurt, you shouldn’t have,” the slave boy said. “You should have told me and your dad and I would have left. You shouldn’t have let that asshole use you. You are too precious to me… And you suffered to protect me–”

“I couldn’t lose you,” Kurt said, his tears subsiding a little. “You are not safe out there.”

“I’m sorry,” Lauren interrupted, “but I don’t get it. What’s the big deal with Karofsky knowing about this guy?”

Blaine shared a look with Puck who shrugged as if letting the slave to choose the answer. “I’m… I don’t belong to Hummels. I’m a stray.”

Rachel gasped as the realization hit her. “Oh my god, you are smelly-a– I mean, you are the…” she trailed off. “I thought you left Lima or died.”

“Almost did,” Blaine said, his attention fully on Kurt even though he was talking to the girl now. “Kurt and Puck found me on time. Actually I have to thank you for indirectly saving my life.”

“What?” Rachel looked at him confused while Puck stared at him like he was crazy. Lauren on the other hand seemed curious.

“If it wasn’t for you Kurt wouldn’t have gone looking for me,” Blaine explained. “He told me what happened. I know you weren’t talking nice things about me but still, thank you.”

“Oh,” Rachel blushed. “I’m sorry for talking horrible things about you. And how I treated you. And–”

“Guys,” Lauren interrupted, “as wonderful as this is, I think there are more important things now. We have an illegal slave here and police might be on its way.”

“We need to get papa Hummel,” Puck said. “He will know what to do.”

“We could forge ownership documents,” Lauren suggested. “There must be some examples online.”

“I could bring our slaves’ papers,” Rachel offered. “We have several slaves so it would be good to see differences for reference.”

“I’ll call a friend, who can get us a fake ID,” Puck said and took his phone out of his pocket. “This won’t win us a lot of time but there isn’t much we can do.”

The teens started talking about other things they could do but Blaine wasn’t really listening to them because he knew what he had to do. He was the only one who could get them out of that mess.


	37. Chapter 37

**January 8, 2013**

Not long after Kurt stopped crying he fell asleep still wrapped safely in Blaine’s arms. The slave boy ran his fingers through his friend’s hair absentmindedly only half aware of Puck calling Burt and the girls talking some more about forgery. He didn’t even notice when Puck left the room.

“I’ll order Jesse to bring the papers,” Rachel’s words snapped Blaine out of his stupor.

“Order him? Kurt told me you stopped treating him as a slave,” he said with a frown. He clearly remembered Kurt telling him how Rachel became friends with the boy she had bought.

“Oh, yes, we are friends now but he is still my slave so I still get to order him around, right? I mean, how else is he going to do what I want if I don’t tell him to?”

Blaine looked at her confused for a moment. “Did you by any chance order him to act as your friend?”

The girl nodded. “I did and it’s so much more fun! Kurt was right. Now I have someone to listen to me all the time and also someone who is nearly as talented as I am as my duet partner. It’s great. No wonder Kurt did it.”

Lauren rolled her eyes with a headshake.

“What?” Rachel asked having noticed the gesture.

“It’s not really how it works,” Blaine said with a sigh. “Kurt never ordered me to be his friend, we became ones over time. He treated me as a friend and at first I was wary but soon he proved that he cared for me. I learned to trust him and I think he trusts me too.”

“But how do you know what you need to do for Kurt if he doesn’t make it an order?”

“He asks me for help. He suggests doing something. He always leaves me a chance to choose, to make my own decision,” Blaine said watching Kurt with a small smile. “He makes me feel like I’m my own person, which also allows me to offer him my help. If I see him washing the dishes I go and dry them so he doesn’t have to do that. If he can’t find something I go looking for that thing too. If he wakes up late for school I assure him I’ll make his bed even if he insists I don’t have to.

“And it’s a two-way friendship. If he sees me struggling with a maths problem he offers to help me to figure it out. If I’m running out of shampoo I don’t even have to ask for it because a new bottle is already there thanks to Kurt.

“We help each other because we want to, not because we have to. That’s what friends do.”

“Do you see his dad as your master then?”

Blaine shook his head. “There are no masters in this house. And here I don’t feel like a slave either. Up until Christmas I had to follow the rules that the Hummels gave me. Do you know what they were?”

Rachel shook her head and Lauren seemed interested for the first time.

“Kurt told me to read. He also made me watch TV, eat fruits, get enough sleep. Those were my slave rules that were supposed to make me comfortable here.”

“These aren’t real rules,” Rachel shook her head. “No slave owner would ever–”

“But they aren’t my owners. They are… my family,” Blaine said after a prolonged pause. “It’s weird how quickly they made me feel welcome. They are wonderful people.”

“But I still don’t understand…” Rachel whined, a deep frown on her face.

“What’s not to understand?” Lauren cut in before Blaine could say anything. “Just treat your slave as if he was that girl you always hang out with.”

“Mercedes?”

“I don’t know and I couldn’t care less. She is your friend, right?” she asked and Rachel nodded. “Imagine it’s her when you talk to your slave. You wouldn’t order her around, would you?”

“Well, sometimes–”

“This one is hopeless,” Lauren said and Blaine laughed silently, careful not to wake Kurt up.

“You are right, I’m not good at this,” Rachel whined.

“Look, it’s all new to you so it’s understandable,” Blaine said with sympathy. “You have good intentions here so you can do this. I know it’s a lot to take in, especially after you were raised in a pro-slavery family. You just need a little guidance.”

Rachel nodded thoughtfully. “I know it’s a lot to ask but… would you help me?”

“I would but I’m not even sure I’ll still be here by tonight. I could give you my number though,” the slave offered.

“Oh, please, it’s not like Hummel is going to let his boyfriend go,” Lauren laughed.

Blaine blushed at her words. “We aren’t… we are not boyfriends. Kurt is seeing someone actually.”

“Really?” Rachel asked surprised.

“Yes, he told me. Every day he would come back with his lips dark and swollen and–” he said until the realization hit him. “Oh… He meant Dave.”

“This is so fucked up,” Lauren said and after her words Puck entered the living room.

“Papa Hummel is on his way,” he said sitting down in his previous spot. “He is furious. And I also called a friend so by tomorrow we should have a fake ID for you, Blainers.”

“I’ll call Jesse and order… no, ask him if he can bring the papers,” Rachel said smiling at Blaine. “Excuse me.”

The girl left and Puck followed her with his eyes. “That one is crazy,” he said.

“Do you think there is anything legal we can do about Dave? He has to be punished for what he did to Kurt,” Blaine said.

“Honestly? If we go to police and tell them Karofsky blackmailed someone because he knew that the person had an illegal slave, I don’t think we would achieve anything,” Puck said. “They would be more interested in the illegal slave part than the blackmail.”

“Unless we tell them he blackmailed Hummel about something else,” Lauren said slowly.

“Like what?” Blaine asked.

“I’m not sure. I would need to go through hours of recordings but I could put something together.”

Blaine didn’t really like the idea. Not only would it take a long time but it would also mean lying to police. Even if planned well, it might turn into a disaster. There was no way for them to win in this situation.

“You seem hesitant,” Puck said looking at Blaine.

“I just… I’m not sure it would work and it would mean wasting a lot of time and energy on this. But I also want to get back at Dave. What he did to Kurt is unimaginable. Kurt should have never had to go through this.”

“We could always deal with him like we did with Hudson,” Lauren suggested and Puck visible stiffened.

“What do you mean?” Blaine asked.

“Well, Puckerman and Hummel gathered a couple of people to help them get back at this jock at school. He totally deserved it though,” the girl explained. “And it was pretty awesome.”

“Puck?”

The boy looked up reluctantly. “We kind of wanted to punish the guy who beat you up right before we found you. We didn’t do much, I promise.”

“Yeah, just fucked with his head, made him spiral down the social ladder and let him know that Hummel had leverage over him so he couldn’t get back at us,” Lauren explained victoriously. “It was fun.”

“You what?” Blaine shouted and heard Kurt grumble in his sleep. He lowered his voice, “what were you thinking?! It was dangerous and now he knows that Kurt knows… whatever he knows. And just… I can’t believe you did this and for what? For _me_? Did you really think I would approve of this?! Revenge is never an answer!”

“What did you expect?” Puck defended himself in a hushed voice. “The guy left you for dead! You nearly fucking died! Do you have any idea how worried we were about you? The first night Kurt didn’t sleep at all, he was watching over you afraid that you might die right in front of him. We texted throughout the night and every time I closed my eyes I saw you lying almost naked on the concrete floor in that fucking factory. We didn’t only do that for you, we did it for ourselves too.”

Blaine looked at him with big eyes. He knew he caused many problems for Hummels but he never thought how it could have affected them or his old friend. He only thought of how difficult it must have been to carry him down the stairs or nurse him to consciousness, or how much money was spent on him. It never really occurred to him that it caused these people some emotional trauma. Now that he thought of it, it made sense. If he was to find a lifeless body of a friend, he would have nightmares for a long time.

“I think I get why you did it,” he spoke after a moment. “I still think it was reckless.”

“It was a very elaborate plan,” Lauren explained when Puck said nothing. “Hudson didn’t even see it coming.”

“Who is Hudson?” Blaine asked.

“The guy who beat you up. We found his locket in the factory next to you,” Puck said.

“But it was Dave who beat me up,” Blaine said confused.

“What?”

“I mean, there were two other guys holding me but it was Dave who was the most… physical with me,” Blaine shuddered at the memory.

“Are you sure?” Puck asked.

“Yes, I am. It’s kind of a blur but I do remember that it was Dave.”

“Oh fuck…”

Before anything else could be said they heard the car speeding down the street and soon it stopped by the house. Seconds later a frantic looking Burt made his way in the house. He went into the living room and Rachel followed him shortly.

“Kurt?” the man breathed upon seeing his son and Kurt woke up with a gasp.

“What?” he said disorientated.

“How are you, son?” Burt asked ducking in front of him.

Kurt looked at him confused until memories started to flood him. Blaine could pinpoint the exact moment when the other boy remembered what happened that day.

“I’m okay, dad,” he said eventually.

“Kurt–”

“I can’t deal with this right now,” the boy said in a voice that left no room for arguing. “I’ll go take a proper nap.”

The boy stood up and looked at his classmates. “Thank you, guys, for bringing me home. I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”

They all watched him go with concern on their faces. Kurt was far from okay and they all knew that. Blaine hesitated, not sure if he should follow the boy and show his support or give him space. On one hand, Kurt ran to him when he was in distress. On the other hand, he might need some time alone. In the end, it was Burt who made the decision for him.

“Blaine, could you go and–” he started but the slave boy was already on his feet and out of the room before the man could finish his thought.

He ran up to Kurt’s room and knocked on it lightly. “Kurt? It’s me, Blaine.”

“Come in,” Kurt’s voice came from the room.

He entered the room and closed the door behind him. He saw Kurt fishing pyjamas from his closet. “I was wondering if you would like to have a nap friend,” he offered.

“Do you… Are you okay with being close to me?” the boy asked not looking at him but rather interested in the patterns on his pyjamas.

“Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?” Blaine asked in confusion and stepped closer as if to indicate that their close proximity was totally fine with him.

Kurt shrugged, his eyes still downcast. “I don’t want to… after what Karofsky did I feel so… I don’t know. And then you held me and I’m so sorry, you must feel disgus–”

“Kurt, please, don’t even finish that word,” Blaine said with pleading eyes, gently cupping the boy’s face and making him look up. “I could _never_ feel disgusted by you. I love having you in my arms or just close to me. What that monster did to you doesn’t change the fact how I feel about you.”

Kurt sniffed at his words and a small smile graced his face for the first time after a long time. “You can be my nap friend then.”

“Thank you,” Blaine beamed hoping to cheer the other boy up. “I hope you don’t mind if I sleep in my clothes.”

“That’s okay,” Kurt said and went to the bathroom to change into the pyjamas.

Blaine had hoped that the boy would argue. Normally he would have given him a pointed look and he would have to change into his sleeping clothes. The slave sighed only hoping that Kurt would be okay soon.

When they finally got ready for bed Blaine made sure to scoop Kurt in his arms to show that he really did want to be close to him. He had to reassure the boy not only with his words but also with his actions.

Kurt fell asleep rather quickly. Blaine listened to his breathing willing himself to stay awake. He soon heard Puck and the girls leaving together with Burt, who most likely offered to drive them home. It was the perfect timing.

The slave carefully got out of bed, luckily managing to not wake Kurt up. He silently went to Kurt’s desk and sat down on the chair. He knew there would be some paper in one of the table drawers.

On the third try Blaine saw a piece of paper sticking out of some book. He pulled it out and saw something written on it. He was about to put it back when his own name caught his attention. The boy straightened the paper and read it.

_How to Make Blaine Want to Stay:_

_1\. Treat him as equal (obviously)_

_2\. Set up a guest room for him (decorate it to his liking)_

_3\. Try to find out about his hobbies, etc. (Noah may know something; Blaine is unlikely to open up)_

_4\. Make sure dad doesn’t make stupid jokes (same goes to yourself)_

_5\. Keep hinting how much it sucks living on the streets (he knows it already, just remind him from time to time)_

_6\. Tell him you want him to stay (every day) (also, tell dad to do the same)_

_7\. Don’t make decisions for him (always ask for his opinion, ALWAYS)_

_8\. Don’t judge him before imagining yourself in his shoes (what would_ you _think/do/say if you were him?)_

_9\. Make his Christmas unforgettable (some holiday cheer may help and if not, at least it will be a nice memory for him) (also, buy a present that could be useful both if he stays and if he leaves)_

_10\. You have a month, make it count! (it seems like a long time but it isn’t)_

_P.s. If he still wants to leave lock him in the basement, wrap him in warm blankets, hug him as tight as you can, and never let go. Like, NEVER! No bathroom breaks for either of you._

By the end of the list tears were running freely down Blaine’s face. Kurt had the biggest heart and he deserved all the happiness in the world.

 _I’m doing this for you, Kurt,_ he thought and put the piece of paper back into the book.

The boy dried his tears and kept looking until two drawers later he found a new notebook. He ripped one page out and took one of the pens that were on the table. He started writing without even thinking, knowing that it would be more genuine if he just went with the flow.

_Dear, Kurt,_

_First of all, I’m sorry. Sorry for causing you so much heartbreak and then leaving you alone to deal with it. I wish I could stay and help you. I wish I could hold you and chase your nightmares away. But I can’t._

_I know you can’t see it now but this is the best option we have. With me out of picture you and your dad can live in peace again. You two did so much for me and me leaving is sort of my thank you because I know neither of you would ask me to leave even if you both know it’s for the best._

_I wish we had more time together. I know I should say I wish we had never met because then you wouldn’t have had to go through so much trouble but I’ll be selfish. Selfish enough to say that you are the best thing to ever happen to me. I will always treasure you in my heart._

_Please, tell your dad how grateful I am. I’ve been disappointed and hurt by one too many adults until your dad gave me hope that not everyone is out there to hurt me. He is the greatest father figure I’ve ever had._

_Also, tell Puck that he will always be one of the most important people in my life even if I never see him again. He is the reason I survived long enough to meet you._

_And Mike. Please, let him know he gave me hope for a better life. He showed me it was possible to have happiness even while being a slave. I will always be grateful to you for introducing us._

_I’ll leave Lima and I don’t know if we ever meet again. Maybe it’s better if we don’t… I want you to go on with your life and not worry about me. I’ll be fine, I promise._

_I like to think that somewhere in an alternate universe we are both happy together, we are not forced to part because of other people’s beliefs and ridiculous laws. I like to imagine us there. I like to imagine you happy._

_I’ll miss you like crazy. You are my best friend._

_With love,_

_Blaine._

The slave boy folded the paper and stared at it for a moment. He wanted to say so much more but he didn’t have much time. He took the ring Burt had given him off the chain and placed it on the letter. He knew he was doing the right thing but it still hurt a lot.

The boy made his way to the bed as silently as he could and gently kissed Kurt’s temple. With one last look at the sleeping boy Blaine left the room and went into the guest room which he had learned to call his. He took his old bag which Kurt had cleaned, put some clothes in it and his old belongings. He didn’t take the phone knowing it would be too tempting to contact Kurt and then he might talk him into coming back. He had to be strong but he wasn’t strong enough so it was better to cut off all contact he had with the Hummels.

Silently Blaine went downstairs, put on the shoes that Kurt had gotten for him and left the house with a heavy heart.


	38. Chapter 38

**January 8, 2013**

Walking down the streets of Lima Blaine was reminded why he didn’t like winter or living on the streets. Adding those two together made it plain awful. He walked in nothing but an undershirt and a cardigan while tiny snowflakes fell on him as a cruel reminder that it was only the beginning of January and soon things would get even worse. He sighed wishing he could have stayed with the Hummels.

The boy couldn’t help but imagine Kurt waking up from his nap and subconsciously reaching out for him but finding nothing. He would lie there for a few more seconds until he would properly wake up from his sleepy state. He would look around the room and when he wouldn’t see him, he wouldn’t think much of it. Until the ring on the desk would catch his attention. It would be the ring he would grab first because it would tell him something was wrong. Only then he would take the letter and read it. His heart would break at the first words but he would continue reading it. After the day of crying he would cry some more. All because of Blaine.

He walked for a few more minutes, not even sure where he was going. It wasn’t dark yet and some passersby threw curious looks at him. He knew he must have looked ridiculous to all of them. But the boy just continued walking ignoring them. He was thinking of going back to the factory but he knew it would be the first place Kurt and Burt and maybe Puck would go looking when they found out he had run away. He was thinking of the so called haunted house but some kids might be playing there. He could also just keep walking until he got tired and hope for the best.

It was getting close to the time when people finished work and more cars appeared on the streets. Blaine didn’t pay much attention to them until one slowed down and the window opened.

“Need a ride, kid?”

The slave looked at the car and stopped. The car stopped too.

“I–”

“I like taking a walk myself sometimes but personally I don’t like dragging a bag with me or going out in winter without proper clothes,” the man in the car said with a laugh. “Come on, hop in.”

Blaine watched the window close and sighed defeated. He opened the door and sat down in the front seat.

“So how was the walk?” the man asked facing him and not showing any intentions of driving, just increasing the temperature in the car.

“Listen, Burt–”

“You should pray Kurt hasn’t noticed you are gone yet.”

“You said I could leave whenever I wanted so I chose to leave now,” Blaine said.

“Without a goodbye?” Burt asked.

“I left Kurt a letter,” the boy said defensively. “I wouldn’t just disappear without a word, not after all you’ve done for me.”

Burt nodded in understanding. “Can you tell me why you left?”

Something told Blaine that the man knew why but for some reason he wanted to hear it from him. “Because I don’t want you to go to jail because of me,” he said looking through the front window.

“Okay, so why haven’t you come to me to talk about it first?” the man asked. “Since it has something to do with me?”

“Because you’ve dealt with way too much already. I knew you wouldn’t let me leave so I wanted to make it easier for you. Don’t pretend you don’t think your life would be better without me,” the boy said more harshly than he had planned.

“Better? No. Easier or more peaceful? Yes, I won’t argue with that,” Burt said much to Blaine’s surprise. “But you know, if I got a chance to go back in time I would change one thing only. You know what?”

“What?” the boy asked reluctantly.

“I would have invited you to stay with us earlier. I wouldn’t have waited for you to be hurt and nearly die. The moment my son came to me and told me about the homeless slave he had met, I would have driven all around Lima looking for you. And then I would have offered you a place with us.”

“I would have said no,” Blaine spoke after a while.

“I know, but it doesn’t matter,” Burt said with confidence. “You would have agreed eventually after some awfully cold night. And it’s going to get very cold soon. That’s just a random observation.”

Blaine looked at the man and all he could see was sincerity. “I can’t go back with you. It’s too risky. Angry Dave is bad news and now he must be furious. He will go to police, I’m sure.”

“You know the guy?” Burt asked.

“I… yeah, I do. I used to live with the Karofskys,” Blaine carefully chose his words.

“You were their slave?”

“No, not really,” the slave boy said and started playing with the strap of his bag.

Burt waited for a few moments but didn’t hear any explanation. “You know, there is a way to get out of this situation.”

Blaine looked up at him again. “What?”

“The only way for us to live in peace and sleep well at night is if I buy you. If you are legally our slave, then nobody could say we are doing anything wrong.”

Blaine shook his head quickly. “No, no, I can’t go back to my owners. She will kill me,” he said starting to panic.

“Calm down, kid. Why do you think your owner would kill you?”

“Because she was planning to,” the boy swallowed hard. “She wanted to kill me so I ran. My brother wouldn’t have done it but she said she would…”

“Okay, you got me confused here,” Burt spoke. “Could you explain maybe?”

Blaine looked at the man contemplating his question. He could trust the man, he knew that much. He just didn’t know if he could trust himself to relive his memories. It was hard enough to think about his past but saying those things out loud would be much more difficult.

“I’m trying to help you here, buddy,” Burt nagged him.

“Okay,” Blaine said finally after taking a deep breath. “You probably guessed already that I wasn’t born in slavery. My parents sold me when I was fifteen so a bit over three years ago. We used to be close, my parents and I. But I made a huge mistake by coming out to them when I was fourteen. They became distant, they just stopped loving me. But it wasn’t until a year later that they finally snapped. They saw me kissing another boy. I guess they were alright, well maybe not alright with me being gay but for as long as I didn’t act on it they could pretend I was straight. After seeing me with a boy they could no longer pretend.

“Next day my dad took me to the slave training centre in Columbus. I didn’t know what that building was so I went in without resistance. I didn’t even question where we were going. It wasn’t until my dad signed some papers and some tall man handcuffed me that I understood what was going on. Just like that my parents sold me.”

The boy was about to continue when he felt Burt’s hand on his shoulder. He looked at him with a grateful smile.

“The centre… It was awful,” Blaine continued. “They taught us how to be obedient, taught us about punishments and such. It was humiliating, degrading… Half of the time there I wanted to die. The rest of the time I was in the slave mode already and felt nothing. I was taught that as a slave I wasn’t meant to feel anything. I didn’t deserve to feel.

“Soon I was ready to be sold. I was dreading it. I was already used to the centre and the change scared me. I remember being told I had been bought. I started crying. I cried all the way to my new owner’s house. The driver told me I should stop crying because owners usually don’t like seeing their slaves cry so I would get immediately punished and it would be a bad start. So I tried to stop but it got even worse. I could hardly breathe at that point.

“We pulled over not long after and the driver pulled me out of the van. The house we stopped by looked really familiar the moment I saw it. Before I could even remember where I knew it from someone hugged me and started telling me everything would be okay. I recognised that voice. It was my brother.”

“Your brother bought you?” Burt’s surprised voice interrupted him.

Blaine nodded and took his locket from under his clothes. He opened it to reveal the photos of two young kids. “The older one here is my brother Cooper. I’m the little one,” he explained showing it to Burt and closed it afterwards. “It was summer when I was sold, the end of July to be precise so my parents told him I was in a summer camp. My brother was sure I would have told him because we talked on the phone a lot but he didn’t question it until I didn’t come back after two weeks. But my parents fed him new stories.

“Luckily, his friend was looking for a slave to buy for himself and he saw me on the website. He recognised me because I spent one summer at Copper’s place in Columbus, right after coming out to my parents. So he told Cooper and when I was put on sale, my brother bought me. That’s how I ended up living with him and his wife Cassandra.”

The boy dried the first tears that appeared, knowing it would just become harder as he spoke. He took a few calming breaths and Burt squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

“I lived with them for about a year until… until Cooper died,” he said and no longer cared about the tears. “There was a horrible car accident and he didn’t make it. And after the funeral… Cassandra wanted to get rid of me. I always thought she liked me but apparently she didn’t.

“A couple of weeks after my brother’s death I overheard her talking to her sister. She said things like ‘it would remind me of Cooper’ and ‘I don’t have time or energy for it’ and such. Her sister tried to argue that it’s a human life she was talking about but Cassandra didn’t care. I got scared and I ran away. I packed a few things, took the locket that Cooper had given me and left that night.

“I walked mindlessly without any real plan until I got too tired. It was the middle of October and it wasn’t too cold yet. I slept in the bus stop until a car honk woke me up. A man in the car asked me if I was alright. I don’t know why but I just told him. He seemed nice and I was scared and I just needed some guidance. I thought he would give me some advice. He did better. At least at that moment I thought he did. He offered me to stay with him and his family.

“This is how I ended up in Lima. Living with the Karoskys.”

“What?” Burt gasped and Blaine looked at him to see shock on his face. “You lived with the guy who hurt Kurt?!”

“I did,” Blaine nodded. “It was… they treated me like a slave, a proper slave, not how my brother or you treated me. I got beaten and starved, everything you can think of. They couldn’t afford to buy a slave so I was perfect for them. A slave for free, just walking into their arms.

“I lived with them for a little less than a year until someone saw me somehow. Police came and took Paul Karofsky, Dave’s father with them. I was kicked out and luckily I managed to snatch my bag. But before I left Dave told me if I tried to leave Lima, he would kill me. I didn’t believe him and tried to leave and that’s when I got close to death for the first time. Dave and his friends came after me and beat me up so badly that I couldn’t stand up for over a day. I didn’t want to die so I stayed in Lima.

“At first I was allowed to sleep in one of the city churches but later… it was Christmas time already… the priest told me people didn’t want me to stay there anymore. He kicked me out. It was late in the evening and I didn’t have anywhere to go so I just curled up in an alley trying to protect myself from the wind. That’s where Dave’s friends found me. They wanted to beat me yet again but one of them stopped me. Any guesses who that was?”

“It was Puck, wasn’t it?” Burt guessed immediately.

“Yeah, my guardian angel,” Blaine smiled through the tears. “He told them off and took me to the factory. I lived there until you took me.”

“What happened that night?”

“They came after me on Friday. It was evening and I was already in the factory getting ready for the night. I don’t know how they found my hiding place… I guess I had been lucky to be able to hide it for almost a year. So they came and beat me up. Nothing new except how ruthless they were. Even worse than the first time. Dave said something about finally taking care of me. I don’t remember much. At some point I lost consciousness. I woke up in Kurt’s bed.”

“God, kiddo,” Burt said before pulling Blaine into a tight embrace.

The boy relaxed ignoring the uncomfortable position and cried into the man’s chest. He felt sick talking about his past but now he felt relieved as if some weight was lifted off his chest. It felt good.

“I promise, I won’t let you down,” Burt said and Blaine pulled away.

“I don’t want anything bad to happen to you,” the boy wiped his nose. “You are too kind to go to jail. You don’t deserve it.”

“I won’t go to jail, we’ll figure it out. Do you remember Cassandra’s phone number?” he asked and Blaine shook his head. “How about her address?”

“I–”

“I just want to talk to her. I’ll offer her some money. It’s the only option,” the man pleaded him. “You won’t survive this winter and Kurt will kill me if I let you go. Please, just tell me.”

Blaine looked at the man. It was over for him no matter what. If he left, he would die of cold. If he stayed, Burt would go to jail and he would be kicked out, also resulting in his death. If Cassandra got him back he would either die or be sold, both equally terrifying. It was over for him but he could at least try. For Kurt.

Defeated Blaine told Burt the address in Columbus and they drove back home. Blaine dropped his bag on the ground and took off the shoes, feeling a strange sensation in his heart now that he was _home_.

“Let’s go get some tea,” Burt suggested. “I don’t want you to catch a cold.”

“Okay,” the boy said and they entered the kitchen. “When are you… going to Columbus?”

“I’ll leave early in the morning so I can catch your brother’s wife before she leaves for work,” the man explained and put the water to boil. “I asked the kids if one of them could let you stay for the night, just as a safety precaution. They said they would ask their parents. Well, Rachel’s dads would probably come barging in here themselves if they found out about you but Puck and Lauren said they would see what they could do.”

“Lauren is scary,” Blaine smiled a little.

Burt laughed and was about to say something when they heard shouting upstairs.

“Oh shit,” the man cursed.

“Dad! DAD!!! Blaine left!” they heard Kurt’s voice and soon the hurried steps upstairs. “Blaine ran away! Dad, come on! We have to go!”

Blaine stood up and was about to go show himself to Kurt when the other boy ran into the kitchen.

“Dad!” he yelled and noticed Blaine standing there. Blaine saw his expression change from fear to anger. “You!”

Kurt walked up to him and hit him in the chest with fists, walking forward all the time. “You asshole! Jerk! You, you… bad person!” he yelled until Blaine hit the kitchen counter and couldn’t move anymore and then wrapped his arms around Blaine’s neck. “You aren’t allowed to leave! I’ll order you, I’ll make it a rule, just, please, don’t leave… Don’t ever leave me…”

Snapping from his initial shock Blaine encircled his arms around Kurt’s waist gently. “I’m sorry, Kurt, I’m so sorry…”

“And you should be,” the boy said, tightening his embrace. “You scared me.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you–”

“And what exactly did you think would happen after I read your stupid perfect letter? Did you think I would do a little happy dance and wave you goodbye? Of course it hurt me!”

“I’m sorry…”

“I hate you! No, I don’t… But I’m very angry right now,” Kurt murmured still holding onto him. “I order you to stay with me. Here, I said that. You can’t leave.”

“Actually he has to,” Burt reminded the boys of his existence. “Lauren’s parents agreed to take Blaine in for the night. We should get going now just in case police is on its way. Sorry, kid, no time for tea.”

“Oh, okay,” Kurt said finally releasing Blaine and stepping back. “Let me go get my overnight bag ready.”

“You aren’t going, Kurt,” Burt said and the boy was about to argue but the man cut in, “I’m sure Lauren’s parents don’t have enough space for two boys. And how would I explain my son’s absence if police came?”

“A sleepover,” the teen shrugged.

“On Monday? Nobody is stupid enough to believe that.”

“But–”

“No arguing. Blaine and I are going. Is there anything else you need to take, Blaine?”

The slave boy shook his head and looked at Kurt apologetically.

“Are you sure?” Kurt asked him. “Do you have Mr Honey with you?”

“I… actually I took it with me when I left,” the boy blushed. “I wanted something to hold while sleeping and something to remind me of you… You gave it to me so I thought I could take it.”

“Of course you could, it’s yours,” Kurt said and hugged the boy one more time. “Come back to me, okay?”

“I’ll try,” Blaine said, knowing well enough that he couldn’t make any promises in the position he was in.

***

When Burt and Blaine finally rang the doorbell of the Zizes’ house they both felt uneasy. They weren’t sure if Lauren’s family was really just kind enough to help them or if they were planning to rat them out. At this point they were ready to take any risks.

Moments later a tall bulky man opened the door. He had an impressive moustache and cold eyes. “Yeah?”

“Hi. I’m Burt Hummel and this is–”

“Come in, we don’t want anyone to see this kid,” the man spoke and they all went inside.

Blaine saw Lauren standing in the doorway and smiled awkwardly at her.

“So you are Blaine?” the man asked.

“Yes, Sir,” the slave responded.

The man nodded thoughtfully. “Short, bones only,” he observed, “of course you couldn’t defend against your attackers.”

“I was thinking boxing first,” Lauren spoke and the man nodded in agreement.

“Those slave kids should know how to fight back. There are too many people trying to hurt them,” Mr Zizes said. “Don’t worry, kid, I’ll teach you how to not get your ass kicked.”

“Thank you for helping us out,” Burt said, feeling slightly better.

“Don’t mention it,” the man said. “You can go now. We have lots to do with this scarecrow.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Blaine,” Burt said. “Don’t worry about anything, okay?”

“Thank you, Burt,” the boy said and hugged him. “For everything.”

***

**January 9, 2013**

Burt didn’t get much sleep that night. It was difficult for him to fall asleep and when he did, his dream didn’t let him rest. Throughout the night he woke up four times and in the end it wasn’t difficult for him to get out of bed when his alarm went off.

The man got ready as silently as possible. He had promised Blaine not to tell Kurt about their plan because they didn’t want to give him hope. The teen did try to ask question the night before but he told his son they would go with the kids’ plan of forgery. It was good enough for an answer.

While driving to Columbus Burt imagined various outcomes of the talk with the lady. He imagined all possible conversations, arguments, counterarguments, begging. He had no idea how the conversation would go and he just wanted to be prepared for everything. He vowed himself to do everything in his power to keep the boy safe.

The navigation system told him he had reached his destination and Burt pulled over. He checked the address on the house and saw he was at the right place.

_Here goes nothing._

The doorbell shrieked inside and soon Burt heard the steps. A beautiful blonde woman opened the door. “Can I help you?”

“Good morning, I’m Burt Hummel. You must be Cassandra Anderson.”

“Cassandra July-Anderson,” the woman corrected him.

“My mistake,” Burt said. “I’m sorry I came here this early. You are probably on your way to work but this is very important.”

Cassandra looked at him curiously. “What’s so important?”

“It’s about Blaine.”

The woman’s eyes widened in shock. “What about him?”

“I want to buy him from you,” Burt explained. “How much would you want for him?”

“I don’t want your money.”

“Look, ma’am, I’m ready to pay you as much as you want. Just tell me your price.”

“I told you already, I don’t want your money. I want… I want Blaine.”


	39. Chapter 39

**January 9, 2013**

Blaine did what he really didn’t expect to – he slept like a baby the night before. Mrs Zizes prepared their guest room for him and once he was allowed to go to bed he was sound asleep in the matter of seconds. After the day he had had he thought it would be impossible. He had been on an emotional roller-coaster the whole day. Worrying about Kurt in the morning hoping to find a way to make him open up, then the fright seeing him so hysterical, not to mention the rage he felt when he heard about what Dave did to Kurt. Concern, sympathy, fear, and many more played a big part as well. By the end of the day he was mentally exhausted. Luckily, he was physically exhausted too.

Lauren and her dad made sure he wouldn’t have a moment to worry about Kurt or Burt, or his own living situation. It was all about jabs, hooks, power punches and whatnot. Whenever he stopped to take a few breaths he would be told to do some jumping jacks or lunges. For someone who hadn’t been exercising for years it was too much but he didn’t say anything, didn’t complain just because it was too good to have his mind occupied.

Blaine woke up early in the morning. Not because he wanted to but because of Lauren who knocked on his door to wake him up. The boy opened his heavy eyes and rolled on his side, immediately regretting the action. His body was on fire. Every smallest move made him cringe in pain, the feeling so intense he couldn’t will himself to move until Mrs Zizes came knocking on the door to see if he was alright.

The boy managed to convince his own body to move and congratulated himself for being able to stand up until he tried to walk and cursed himself for doing so. He couldn’t bend his legs because his calves were threatening to kill him. Putting the pants on was a nightmare and when he lifted his arms up to change into his cardigan he had to stop midways to breathe as it was too difficult to do in just one go. In the end he took three times longer to get ready for breakfast.

Blaine went into the kitchen and found the Zizes family all ready to start their day.

“Good morning,” he said to everyone.

“Lactic acid, huh?” Mr Zizes said instead of good morning. “Should have gone easier on the first timer, I guess…”

“It’s okay,” Blaine said and cringed as he joined them at the table.

“Here is your breakfast, sweetheart,” Mrs Zizes, a short skinny woman with blonde hair and brown piercing eyes, said and put a big mug in front of him. “Enjoy.”

“Thank you,” thee slave boy said and took a sip of the drink. If he hadn’t had better manners he would have spitted it out immediately.

“Protein shake,” Lauren smirked when she saw his reaction. “They taste awful but you get used to it.”

“I’d rather not,” Blaine quipped and took another sip.

The Zizes family began talking about something and Blaine’s mind drifted away. He wondered if Kurt slept at all. He wished he had grabbed his phone before coming to the Zizes’ so he could message Kurt. Did he go to school or did he stay at home? He could also call or message Burt to ask if he had finished talking to Cassandra. Or maybe he was still driving. Actually, had he left already? Had police visited them? Did Dave contact Kurt to threaten him some more? Maybe he could ask Lauren to lend him her phone for a minute.

He was losing his mind when a piece of paper was presented to him. He looked up to see Mr Zizes looking at him expectantly.

“I made a list of what you have to do,” he said. “It’s a plan made out of the simple moves I showed you yesterday. Follow it while I’m not home. I have no idea when Hummel is picking you up so the plan covers the whole day. After you leave I’ll want you to come here at least four times a week so I can put some muscles on your bones.”

Blaine wasn’t sure if he should feel grateful or dread it. “Thank you,” he opted to say.

“No problem, kid,” the man said and stood up. “Lauren, let’s go.”

He kissed his wife goodbye and left with Lauren. Blaine followed them with his eyes and when they left drank the last drops of his drink with a frown. He saw Mrs Zizes watching the car leave the sight and then opening one of the drawers. Soon several chocolate chip cookies were presented to him on a small plate.

“Those two are impossible,” the woman said in an adoring voice. “Let’s pig out.”

Blaine laughed and gratefully took one of the cookies. It wasn’t as good as Kurt’s.

***

After the breakfast Blaine went to the basement with Mrs Zizes in tow. While he exercised she read a magazine talking to him and the boy did his best to respond through his panting. Everything hurt but the pain was welcome as it didn’t allow him to think.

It was nearing eleven when he found himself showered and doing some yoga with the woman. It wasn’t in Mr Zizes’ list but his wife thought some stretching would be good for him. She also mentioned always having wanted to have a son.

They were in the middle of the sunbird pose when the doorbell shrieked through the house and Mrs Zizes went to open the door. Blaine’s blood ran cold when he heard Burt’s voice. He couldn’t make out what the man was saying but he sounded serious.

 Moments later the two adults made their way into the basement and found Blaine already standing and waiting for them. The boy swallowed audibly dreading the words that were to come.

“Hey, Blaine,” Burt greeted him and Blaine forced himself to say ‘hi’ in return. “I came to pick you up.”

Blaine’s heart beat like crazy. Did it mean they would go home to Kurt? Was it all over?

“We are going to Columbus,” the man’s words shattered his hope.

“Oh,” the boy let out and tried to compose himself even though on the inside he was going crazy. “I’ll go get my stuff.”

“Blaine–” Burt tried but the boy didn’t stop and went upstairs as quickly as his aching legs allowed.

He made his way into the guest room and mindlessly checked if he hadn’t left any of his belongings anywhere.

He should have seen it coming. He had had a bad feeling about Burt seeking out his legal owners. Now it was all over for him. No more Kurt or Burt, or Puck, or Mike. He wouldn’t even get to say a proper goodbye to any of his friends. At least he had written that letter.

The boy tried not to think about his future. Once again in his life he wasn’t sure where he would be the following day. Once again all the decisions were made for him. He felt sick in his stomach.

“Look, Blaine–” Burt began to say when the boy got out of the room with his bag on his shoulder.

“It’s okay, Burt,” the boy smiled at him.

It wasn’t, not really. He trusted the man and he felt betrayed. But at least Burt tried to help him. His intentions were good not like his dad’s or Mr Karofsky’s. Despite the outcome of their acquaintance Blaine knew he would forever feel grateful for everything the man did for him.

“About Cassandra–”

“Can we not talk about it? Please?” Blaine asked.

He didn’t want to hear anything Burt had to say. He already knew what was happening but deep inside he had a tiny hope that maybe things weren’t as bad as he was imagining. Getting his last hope shattered would be too much for him. At least now he could imagine he wasn’t being taken to his doom.

“I think you should hear me out,” Burt said but the slave boy only shook his head.

He didn’t want any excuses. Burt tried and failed, he didn’t owe him an explanation. “I don’t want to talk about it… Please, respect that.”

Burt shared a look with Mrs Zizes who only shrugged. “Fine. Thank you for letting Blaine stay with you, ma’am.”

“Yes, thank you so much,” Blaine thanked her as well.

“It was our pleasure. Lauren doesn’t have sleepovers like ever so it was fun to have you around. I hope we’ll get to see you soon, sweetheart,” the woman hugged him and let them out.

Blaine put his bag on the backseat and climbed into the front seat with Burt already sitting behind the wheel. The ride was silent except for a few times when Burt tried to initiate a conversation, luckily having given up on trying to talk about the boy’s owner. Blaine didn’t talk much, deep in his thoughts.

Driving through Lima was a weird experience for him. He saw a jock, who spat on him several times. He also spotted a lady who once gave him two dollars. There was also this small bakery where he would get some mouldy bread from time to time. And the alley where he would hide from wind, the same alley where he first met Puck. He wondered if it was the last time he would ever see these random strangers and places. Or maybe he would be bought by someone from Lima. Maybe then he would be able to see Kurt or Puck sometimes.

Leaving Kurt like this was more difficult than leaving the day before. Then he had a choice to stay, now he was taken away against his will. Of course he wasn’t fighting it but inside he wanted nothing more but to jump out of the moving car and run away. But he didn’t want to cause Burt any problems.

He wondered how Kurt would react when Burt told him he would never come back. Puck would probably go nuts when he found out. He would never forgive the man he respected more than any other adult. Maybe he would stop talking to Kurt altogether.

Blaine laughed at his thoughts silently. Here he was, being taken to his legal owner not knowing what she would do with him and all he could think of was his friends. They were more important than what would happen to him. He knew then that no matter what happened, nothing could break him as long as he had his friends in his heart.

Two hours felt like minutes and soon they were parking in front of the house that used to be Blaine’s home for a little while.

“Are you alright? You look pale,” Burt commented when the engine died.

“I’m fine,” Blaine stayed composed. “I just want to thank you for what you did for me. You saved my life and kept me safe. You didn’t have to do it but you did. I’m really sorry that Kurt got hurt because of me. And yet you still cared for me after it happened. You are a great man and the only real father figure I’ve ever had and looked up to. So, thank you for being that for me.”

“I’m glad I could be that for you, son,” Burt said with sincerity in his voice. “I’m really glad you came into our lives. And what happened to Kurt is not your fault. You can’t go beating yourself up for it. Just know that both Kurt and I care about you, okay?”

“Thank you,” the slave boy said and reached for his bag, not sure how to proceed with the conversation without starting to cry.

He wanted to get this over with as quickly as he could just like removing a band aid. He knew that sitting in the car and prolonging the inevitable wouldn’t benefit him in any way.

“You can leave it here,” the man said and the slave boy looked at him confused.

So he wasn’t allowed to keep anything he owned. He desperately wanted to have the teddy bear with him, it always made him feel better. And Kurt wanted him to have it when he left with Burt. It was unfair he didn’t get to keep it after all.

“It will be okay,” Burt assured him when he saw the boy’s reluctance to leave the bag.

They got out of the car and went to the door where Burt rang the doorbell. Blaine waited with dread for the door to open and when it did, he thought his heart would jump out of his chest. He expected to be yelled at or getting a slap on his face. What he didn’t expect was a tight hug he was enveloped into as soon as Cassandra appeared in the doorway.

“God, Blaine, I thought I would never see you again…” she whispered.

“I’m sorry for running away, Mistress. Please, punish me as you see fit,” the boy lowered his head respectfully when he was released from her tight grip, his hands shook so he clenched them tightly to stop.

“What?” the woman asked confused.

“He wouldn’t let me explain,” Burt sighed and Blaine looked up to see their warm faces full of sympathy.

“What’s going on?” he asked looking between the two of them.

“Let’s get inside,” Cassandra suggested and led them into the spacious living room. “Please, sit down.”

Blaine sat down on the couch with Burt next to him while Cassandra chose to sit in front of them.

“I wish you had listened to Burt,” the woman spoke. “You wouldn’t look so scared now. I hate to see you like this. But I’m glad you are here.”

He didn’t see that coming. The woman reminded him of the person he used to know before his brother died, not the woman she was afterwards. The little hope he had had bloomed in his chest. Maybe it wasn’t all over for him.

“What–” Blaine began but was cut off by yelling coming from another room.

“Mommy! Mommy, finished!”

The three of them looked at the doorway to see a small child, who couldn’t be older than two, running into the living room, clutching a piece of paper in his tiny hand. It was a boy with dark brown curls and light blue eyes. Blaine’s eyes bugged out as the kid reminded him of someone.

“Mommy, look,” the boy ran up to his mom and put the battered paper on her knees. “I made daddy!”

“You _drew_ daddy, dear,” Cassandra corrected him. “It’s beautiful. You should show it to your uncle.”

Blaine’s eyes widened even more when the boy looked around and saw him. “Bane!” he screamed pointing at the slave and ran up to him as fast as his little feet allowed him, the drawing forgotten on his mother’s knees. “Up!”

The slave boy looked at the boy who had his arms thrown in the air and slowly raised him up. The kid instantly went to touch his hair.

“Plity culs…” he whispered and tugged a bit too hard but Blaine didn’t care.

“Blaine, meet your nephew Cooper Jr.,” Cassandra said smiling at the sight in front of her.

“Mini Cooper?” Blaine looked at the boy with tears in his eyes. “I just… I need an explanation.”

“ _Now_ he is willing to listen,” Burt shook his head and ruffled Cooper’s hair.

“Okay, we’ll explain everything but first I need to take Coop to his room. It’s time for his nap,” Cassandra said and stood up.

Both Cooper and Blaine tightened their grips on each other. Blaine just met his brother’s son, he didn’t want to let him go so soon.

“No, mommy,” the kid whined.

“I could hold him while he sleeps,” Blaine offered hopefully.

The boy nodded and quickly arranged himself in his uncle’s lap. “Look, I’m s’eeping, mommy,” he said innocently and closed his eyes pretending to sleep.

“He’s just like his dad,” Cassandra said with a fond smile while sitting down. “Are you really okay with holding him?”

“God yes,” Blaine breathed, running his fingers through the boy’s hair soothingly. “Now, I was promised an explanation.”

The woman looked at Burt who gave her a sign to start. “Well…”

_“Look, ma’am, I’m ready to pay you as much as you want. Just tell me your price.”_

_“I told you already, I don’t want your money. I want… I want Blaine.”_

_“What do you mean?” Burt asked trying to think of all the arguments he had thought about for this turn of events._

_“I want him to come back home,” Cassandra explained._

_“I know you are going to sell him anyways so why bother with the auctions and such? It would be easier to just sell him to me,” he reasoned with the woman._

_“Why would I ever sell him? He’s my late husband’s brother, Cooper would probably come back to haunt me if I did something like that,” she said a little defensively._

_“Blaine told me you wanted to ki– get rid of him after the funeral,” Burt explained._

_Cassandra shook her head. “There must be some misunderstanding.”_

_“Blaine wouldn’t lie, he’s a good kid.”_

_“I know, that’s why I’m not saying he lied,” the woman said. “Please, come in so we can talk.”_

_The two of them went inside and ended up sitting down to talk in the living room._

_“First of all, can you tell me if Blaine is alright?” Cassandra asked right away._

_“He’s got some rough couples of years but now he’s fine or at least I’d like to think so,” Burt said. “My son and I, well, mostly my son managed to get him out of his shell. The difference between now and how he was a month ago is enormous.”_

_“You’ve only known him for a month?”_

_“Give or take a few days,” Burt nodded in agreement. “He’s also been living with us for that long.”_

_“Let me get this straight, you let a homeless slave into your house and went looking for his legal owners hoping to buy him? Why would you do that?”_

_“Blaine is a great kid, he really is. It just feels like I have two sons now. I want to make sure he is safe and the only way I’m sure he is, is if he lives with us.”_

_“Then why now? Why are you looking for me?”_

_“Someone found out about Blaine. My son got to suffer because of it and I realised that the only way for us to be truly happy and content is to become Blaine’s owners. If you really care for him as it seems, you will sell him to me.”_

_“I can’t trust you,” Cassandra shrugged. “How do I know you aren’t abusing him?”_

_“How do I know you will treat him right if he comes back to you? I mean, he already ran away from you and you didn’t even look for him.”_

_The woman’s head hung in shame. “I will never forgive myself for this. My husband’s death hit me really hard. I was depressed and soon I found out I was pregnant. I wasn’t thinking clearly anymore, I was thinking of getting an abortion. I even smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol while pregnant, not caring about the consequences… The day after Blaine left… When I found out about it I just sat in the kitchen crying because everyone was leaving me. I had no energy to try and stop it from happening._

_“Our friends looked for Blaine. They drove around the city knowing he couldn’t have walked far away, one of them contacted a person who was selling stray slaves with fake identities, but it was all in vain. Since I was legally his owner I was the only one who could go to police asking for help. I didn’t… I thought, if he hated the thought of living with me so much then so be it._

_“I was still depressed by the time my son was born, luckily perfectly healthy even though there was a small chance he would be, and on top of that I developed the postpartum depression. If it wasn’t for my sister helping me out I don’t know what would have happened. She made me realise that I had to get better for my son. I went to therapy and stuff.”_

_“I know what it’s like to lose your spouse and I’m really sorry for your loss,” Burt said when Cassandra fell silent, “but it doesn’t explain why you didn’t look for Blaine after you got better. You said your husband would be angry if you sold his brother. Don’t you think he would have wanted you to look for him?”_

_“I can’t explain it… Maybe because I got my hands full,” she said and laughed coldly at herself. “Such a terrible excuse… I know I’m a horrible person and I’m just making stupid excuses while I know that what I did, or, well, what I didn’t do, is unforgivable. But I just want a second chance from Blaine… I want to apologise even though I don’t expect him to forgive me. He told you my address for a reason so maybe not all is lost…”_

_“God, this is a mess,” Burt dragged his hand over his bald head._

_“Look, I want to see for myself if he is alright,” the woman said wiping her tears. “And then he could choose. If he wants to stay with me then he will and I will welcome him with my arms wide open. And if he chooses to live with you then I’ll just sign all paperwork for free. But only with some conditions.”_

_“What would that be?”_

_“I’ll want him to visit us at least once a week. Whether it’s for a few hours or days or the whole week. I don’t want Cooper growing up without his uncle.”_

_“Cooper?” Burt asked a little confused thinking of Blaine’s brother._

_“My son, Cooper Jr.”_

_“Like Mini Cooper?” the man laughed._

_Cassandra smiled at him. “My husband always said if we ever had a son he would want to call him Cooper and then buy a Mini Cooper, you know, the car, and drive around with him. He said it would be Mini Cooper and Maxi Cooper driving in a Mini Cooper. I didn’t even consider any other name when I found out I was having a boy.”_

_“That’s nice,” Burt said not really knowing what else to say. He really wasn’t good at this. “So, any other conditions?”_

_“I’d ask you to set a bank account for Blaine since he can’t do it himself. Every month I’d transfer some money so that you could buy him clothes, food, everything he needs. I’d want to know he is looked after.”_

_“That’s not necessary,” Burt argued. “I can afford having two boys under my roof.”_

_“I’m sure you do since you wanted to buy Blaine from me but it’s not the point. It’s what my husband would want me to do. That’s my two conditions.”_

_“And if he stays with you, will he be allowed to visit us? And would my son and I be allowed to come over? We aren’t ready to cut off contact with that boy,” Burt wanted to make things clear._

_“It’s for Blaine to decide,” Cassandra said. “If he wants to keep in touch, I won’t forbid it. He is old enough to make his own decisions.”_

_“Alright,” Burt said thoughtfully. “I guess I should go get him now. It’s probably killing him not knowing what’s going on.”_

“Wow,” Blaine breathed. The boy in his arms had conveniently fallen asleep in the beginning of the story so his mother and Burt could explain all the details from their encounter. “It’s a lot to take in…”

“I know,” Cassandra said, tears openly running down her cheeks. “You have no idea how sorry I am. I know I should have looked for you… I should have done something, anything. I have nothing to say for myself just how sorry I am that you had to go through this because of me.”

“It wasn’t… not really because of you,” Blaine whispered. “I overheard things and jumped to conclusions… I should have asked you…”

“What did you hear?” the woman asked.

“You were talking to your sister. You must have been talking about the baby and abortion and I thought you wanted to kill _me_ …” Blaine explained. “I was so stupid…”

“God, I would never hurt you!”

“I know that now,” the slave smiled at the woman. “And I don’t blame you for anything.”

“Does that mean you will come back home?” she asked hopefully.

“Home?” the slave boy asked absentmindedly, looking through the window but not really seeing anything. The boy in his lap muttered something in his sleep.

_“I got an A+ for them so they are quite nice. I hope you like them.”_

_“If you didn‘t let_ me _hug you, then maybe you would let Mr. Honey hug you instead?_

_“You will get it one day. The world will change and this black ink under your skin will mean nothing. You will get your school diploma, graduate from college with a degree you always wanted. You will meet someone and start a life with him. You will live in a perfect suburban house with a cute white fence and maybe you will even have a dog.”_

_“And I kind of started feeling close to you. Whenever we met I liked you more and more and I thought we were sort of friends.”_

_“How about next time I’ll sit with you to make sure you don’t feel uncomfortable?”_

_“Happy belated birthday.”_

_“What do you mean you didn’t get us anything? It’s Santa, who brings presents, silly.”_

_P.s. If he still wants to leave lock him in the basement, wrap him in warm blankets, hug him as tight as you can, and never let go. Like, NEVER! No bathroom breaks for either of you._

_“You aren’t allowed to leave! I’ll order you, I’ll make it a rule, just, please, don’t leave… Don’t ever leave me…”_

_“Come back to me, okay?”_

“Yeah, I want to go home…” he said eventually, looking straight at Burt, who smiled knowingly at his words.


	40. Chapter 40

**January 9, 2013**

_“Does that mean you will come back home?” she asked hopefully._

_“Home?” the slave boy asked absentmindedly, looking through the window but not really seeing anything. The boy in his lap muttered something in his sleep. “Yeah, I want to go home…” he said eventually, looking straight at Burt, who smiled knowingly at his words._

“I had a feeling you might want to,” the man said.

“Oh, so you are not staying then?” Cassandra asked with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Blaine shook his head. “If Burt is still okay–”

“I am,” the man immediately interrupted.

“Well, since Burt _is_ okay with it I want to live with him and Kurt,” Blaine said with a smile. “I really appreciate your offer, Cassie, but I felt more at home after a month spent with the Hummels than I ever did with you and Coop.”

“That’s fine, Blaine, you don’t have to explain yourself. I know I’ve hurt you so it was a long shot, really, but I still had to try, right?” the woman smiled. “I’ll give your ownership papers to Burt so you can live with them legally.”

“Thank you,” the slave boy whispered, excitement growing in his chest. “I’ll want to come over though. Your condition. I want to visit you and I want to see Mini Cooper growing up. I want him to at least have an uncle if he can’t have his father with him. And maybe I could bring a friend or two with me? Kurt and Puck could be cool uncles too. But only if that’s okay with you.”

“I think that would be perfect,” Cassandra said. “You could all have a sleepover here. I think Cooper would be excited to have so many uncles after having none. And speaking of the conditions–”

“It’s very generous–” Blaine began but Cassandra didn’t let him speak.

“I know how much you hate it when people spend money on you but I’m sure that you’d rather use your parents’ money than Burt’s.”

“What?” the slave asked confused.

“Your parents have set a fund for Cooper Jr. and they also send me money every month so that their grandchild is taken care of. It’s way more than I spend so it’s only fair that you have some of that money too. After all your parents should be the ones taking care of you and they will be, just unknowingly. If you don’t agree with this condition you won’t be going with Burt,” Cassandra finished with a teasing smirk.

Blaine looked stunned at the woman. He didn’t really want his parents’ money, he wanted nothing from them but in a way Cassandra was right. It was only fair that they helped him in some way after what they had done to him. And Burt wouldn’t have to spend his hard earned money on him. Maybe he could also get some thank you presents for him and Kurt. And gifts for them on birthdays. Next year he could also fulfil the role of Santa just like both Hummel men did.

He had to swallow his pride and accept the offer.

“Only if you are sure that Cooper has enough. I don’t want to steal his money,” he insisted just to make things clear.

“Oh, please, you know your parents. I hate to say it but Cooper was always their favourite son and now Cooper Jr. is the only grandkid they will ever know so they spoil my kid. They give us more than enough.”

“Okay then… Thank you so much,” Blaine said sincerely. It was hard for him to believe it was all happening for real.

“So, I think we can go and sign the papers now,” Burt suggested.

“Sure,” Cassandra agreed and stood up. “Let’s go to the study and we can– Actually, I have one more condition.”

“What is it?” Blaine asked a bit fearfully.

“I want to pay for your education.”

“But I can’t go to school or college,” the slave frowned.

“You can’t but there is no law that says you can’t have a personal tutor coming in daily. Is it okay with you, Burt, if a stranger comes into your house to teach Blaine?”

“Perfectly fine with me,” the man said, “but you don’t need to give extra for that. The amount you offered for Blaine’s keep will be enough to cover a tutor.”

“I said it was a condition,” Cassandra said. “Now let’s go sign those papers.”

Cassandra walked out of the room with Burt in tow and Blaine was left alone with the kid in his lap. From what he heard Cassie wasn’t doing well emotionally but it was obvious that his nephew was looked after. He thanked the higher power that Mini Coop turned out to be a healthy boy despite his mother’s harmful behaviour. Maybe it was the universe’s way to apologise for leaving the kid without his father.

Several minutes later the boy started to stir and soon he opened his eyes and stretched with his mouth wide open in a yawn.

“Good nap?” Blaine asked with a fond smile.

The boy nodded and sat down on the slave’s thighs. “Wanna see my loom, unc’ B’ane?” the boy asked with a spark in his eyes. It was a mystery to Blaine how he could be wide awake seconds after waking up.

“Sure, lead the way.”

Cooper’s tiny arms found their way around Blaine’s neck and locked tightly.

“Oh, so I’ll have to carry you?” the slave boy asked with a laugh and stood up, his arms holding the boy safely. “You will have to tell me where to go.”

It took longer than necessary but somehow both Andersons ended up in Cooper’s room. It was light green and orange and Blaine was a bit surprised since he expected it to be stereotypically blue. He wondered if Cassie already knew she was having a boy when she decorated the room.

On one of the walls there were various photos hanging in the frames. He saw a few of Mini Cooper, with toys or Cassandra, there were several of the boy’s dad. What really caught Blaine’s attention was the biggest photo hanging right in the middle.

“You and daddy,” the boy pointed at it.

He was right. It was a photo of Blaine with his brother taken the day before the accident. The last photo he had with his brother and also his brother’s last photo ever taken. It was the end of September and they had been raking the first leaves in the backyard. They ended up having a leaf fight and Cassandra found it funny so she snapped a photo with the two of them posing with leaves all over their clothes and heads.

“Smile, unc’ B’ane,” Cooper said and wiped the tears that escaped Blaine’s eyes, “no cry.”

Blaine gave the boy his biggest toothy smile and the boy smiled in return. “You should say _don’t_ cry,” he said with a wink remembering how Cassie corrected her son’s mistake. “And I won’t cry because you make me very happy.”

“Wanna draw?” the boy suggested.

“Okay,” Blaine agreed and put Coop down.

The boy ran up to his desk and opened a drawer to reveal not only coloured pencils and white sheets of paper but also a stack of drawings piled there. Cooper took them all out, put them on the ground and sat down, Blaine joining him on the floor with some difficulty as his sore muscles didn’t let him forget them.

“Me, mommy, daddy,” the boy pointed at the figures in his drawing and moved onto another one. “Me, mommy. Mommy, daddy. Me, mommy, daddy, unc’ B’ane. Daddy, unc’ B’ane. Me, mommy, auntie Ruth.”

It went on and on until the very last drawing with the boy and a dog in it. The kid explained Blaine that once his mother’s friend came over with a big dog and it licked him and he wanted to have a dog ever since.

When Cooper put all the drawing back into the drawer he gave Blaine one clean sheet of paper and took one for himself. They settled on the wooden floor and began to draw with the slave boy constantly praising his nephew.

By the time Cassandra came looking for them the little boy was almost finished with his drawing. “Look, mommy, I drew unc’ B’ane! He’s holding my hand,” the boys said proudly. “See?”

The woman looked at the drawing. “Very beautiful, son,” she said. “Blaine, Burt wants to leave. He said he wanted to go to his workplace before his employee closed it.”

“Leave?” the little boy pouted. “Na-ah.”

“Oh, I don’t want to leave either, Coop,” Blaine said and scooped the boy, who was holding onto his newest drawing, into his arms. “But I promise I’ll come visit you soon, okay? You won’t even notice it.”

“Don’t leave,” the boy whispered and a tear ran down his puffy check.

“Hey, smile, Coop, don’t cry,” Blaine said and caught his tears.

The slave stood up and the three of them went downstairs to find Burt waiting. “Ready to go?” he asked.

“Almost,” Blaine responded and looked at Coop who was silently crying. “I’ll come this weekend, okay? I’m sure your mom and Burt will be fine with that, right?”

Both adults assured him it was fine.

“See? You will see me in just a few days. You can draw many beautiful drawings for me, deal?”

The boy nodded and let Blaine put him down. He then extended his hand with the drawing.

“Is this for me?” Blaine asked and the boy nodded again. “Thank you, Coop, it’s very pretty.”

“We’ll put it on our fridge,” Burt said after taking a look at the drawing. “The big monster is really cool.”

“That would be me, Burt,” Blaine laughed.

“Oh,” the man laughed awkwardly and patted Coop on his head. “That’s a very realistic drawing there, kiddo. Almost a photo.”

“Very funny, Burt, hilarious even,” Blaine laughed and gave the boy one last hug. “I’ll see you soon. Be good to your mommy.”

He then hugged Cassandra and they left after bidding their goodbyes. Blaine settled in the front seat of the car and waited until Burt put something in the navigation system. He looked back to see his bag lying there.

“You knew, didn’t you?” he asked.

“Knew what?” Burt asked absentmindedly.

“You knew I would want to go back with you. That’s why you said I could leave my bag in the car.”

“I didn’t know but I hoped, I guess,” the man sad and started the engine. “Ready to go home?”

“Yeah,” Blaine breathed.

They started driving and soon Blaine couldn’t see the house anymore.

“I still haven’t told Kurt the news. Do you want to call him and tell him yourself?” Burt suggested.

“Um, can I maybe just tell him in person? I want to see his face,” the slave said shyly. He couldn’t wait to see the smile that would most definitely spread across Kurt’s face.

“Sure thing. I’ll just call him to see if he’s alright,” Burt said and dialled his son’s number on the handsfree phone. He waited for Kurt to answer. “Hey, son. How are you?”

“I’m okay, dad,” Kurt’s voice came from the speakers. “Do you know how Blaine is doing?”

Blaine smiled at the other boy’s concern and selflessness.

“He’s alright. He will soon come back home,” Burt said sending a wink towards Blaine’s direction.

“Does it mean you will soon have the papers? Puck called me about the fake ID already. He promised to bring it tonight.”

“Oh, um, really? Nice of him,” the man coughed uncomfortably. “I take it police hasn’t come yet? What about that Dave kid? Did he bother you?”

“Actually… I didn’t go to school, dad,” Kurt said with uncertainty in his voice. “Please, don’t be mad. I was really worried about Blaine and after yesterday I didn’t want to face Karofsky.”

“That’s okay, son, don’t worry. I’m kind of glad you didn’t go. I don’t want you anywhere near that asshole. We’ll figure something out.”

“I’ll have to face him one day, it’s not like I can transfer schools. Anyway, it’s not important. When do you think Blaine will come back? I miss him.”

Blaine grinned at his words and Burt chuckled. “You sure do have your priorities right.”

“You know how much he means to me,” Kurt sighed. “I know I said it was just a stupid crush but I don’t think it is anymore. With every day my feelings grow stronger and it’s suffocating not to have him here with me. I know you told me to wait until he makes a move if he ever does but it’s so hard, you have no idea. He is just so perfect… Do you think you could buy me some ice-cream on your way home after work so I can eat my feelings? M? Dad? You still there? Can you hear me?”

Kurt’s voice echoed in the car with two men sitting completely still with open mouths. Blaine could feel Burt’s eyes on him. He couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face.


	41. Chapter 41

**January 9, 2013**

Burt finally snapped out of his shock and looked away from Blaine. “Yeah, son, I can hear you now,” he said to Kurt. “What flavour ice-cream do you want?”

“Anything, really. I just want to freeze my brain,” Kurt’s chuckle came from the speakers.

“Alright. I have to go now. See you soon, son,” Burt said and Kurt hung up after saying goodbye. “So, um, any chance you didn’t hear this conversation?”

Blaine gave the man a pointed look. “I’m afraid I heard every single word of it.”

“Well, maybe you could pretend you didn’t?”

“I could but I won’t,” the boy said. “Why would I ignore it when I know the boy I like likes me back?”

“You like Kurt?” Burt gaped at him.

“Who in their right minds wouldn’t like him?” Blaine asked as if it was the craziest question ever asked. “I just… wow, I can’t believe he feels the same way about me.”

“So, um, what are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing, I guess,” the slave boy shrugged. “He’ll get over it.”

The man frowned looking at the road. “What do you mean? Shouldn’t you be over the moon and race to him and say cheesy things and get together? He likes you, you like him. Simple as that.”

“It’s not that simple,” Blaine sighed tracing random patterns over his wrist tattoo. “I’m a slave, I can’t give him what he deserves. What kind of relationship would that be? He deserves someone who can actually arrange romantic dates and surprise him. Someone who can take care of him. Someone he could marry one day and have kids with. What I can offer is a joke of a relationship. He deserves better.”

“What if he wants you and there is nothing better for him?”

“He doesn’t really know what he wants. I know how things are for gay boys in Ohio, there aren’t many options for us. Kurt will graduate next year and he will probably go to New York where he will meet many eligible guys. And I’m sure he will be very popular among them. He doesn’t need to settle for his slave. If he does it now he will regret it in the future because we would need to break up and the holidays when he comes over would be just awkward. I’m going to save us all this trouble.”

Burt shook his head. “You youngsters are making things way more complicated than they should be. But if that’s what you want to do I can’t do anything about it.”

“Just don’t tell Kurt about the phone call, okay? I don’t want him knowing I overheard him. If he knew I was aware of his feelings and did nothing would hurt him more than he’s hurting now.”

“Of course I won’t tell him. He would kill me,” Burt laughed and Blaine smiled too.

It was for the best, he tried to convince himself. Sure he had imagined being with Kurt many times but it was all fantasies. Now that those dreams were so close to becoming reality he felt silly and insecure.

He looked down at the drawing he had on his knees and decided to change the topic slightly. “I can’t wait to tell Kurt about Cooper and Cassie and everything that happened today.”

“Wait until Puck hears about it,” Burt smiled. “He’ll be angry we didn’t invite him to come with us when he spent all that energy to get you a fake ID.”

“I’m so lucky I’ve met him that night,” the slave breathed thinking of last winter. “He’s the most loyal friend I’ve ever had.”

“And now you two can freely hang out and do stuff,” Burt reminded him. “You could finally meet Mike too.”

“Yeah, my life is about to change…”

***

“Where are we going?” Blaine asked when he saw them passing the sign showing the direction to Lima and it wasn’t the direction they were taking.

“I thought there was someone else you would like to see today,” Burt said and not long after they pulled over into an empty parking lot. The sign said _Green Lawn Cemetery_.

“Oh,” was the only thing Blaine managed to say. There was only one person there he could visit.

“Cassandra told me where your brother was buried,” Burt said. “If you aren’t ready to visit his grave you don’t have to. But if you do, you have all the time you need.”

“Thank you, I’ve been ready for a very long time,” the boy said and opened the door.

“Wait,” Burt called out and took his jacket off. “It will be too big for you but you can’t stay outside in those clothes. Here, put this on.”

“Thanks,” Blaine said gratefully climbing out of the car, threw the jacket over his thin shoulders, and placed the drawing safely on the seat. “I’ll be back soon.”

“No need to hurry,” the man said and the slave boy closed the door with a smile.

It took time to find the grave he needed. There was snow everywhere and the number of graves grew over the two years so it was hard but after good ten minutes Blaine found himself standing in front of the grave he didn’t know he would ever see again.

“Hey, Coop,” the slave whispered in the empty cemetery after a couple of minutes of just standing there silently, “I’m sorry I haven’t visited you for so long. But at least I’m here now, right? Yeah…

“I missed you so much. Life has been hard ever since you left and only the thought of you kept me going. Whenever things got too hard I would think to myself, ‘Cooper would want you to fight’ and I would, I would go on with my life trying hard to survive. You gave me the strength I needed. And now I have other people who help me too. I’m not alone anymore. I feel like I have a family again.

“And I just got my old family back. Cassandra is helping me and Coo– Mini Cooper is just the most adorable kid I have ever met. He looks just like you and he loves his daddy so much. I promise I will take a good care of him for you. He will get so much love from everyone and while nobody will ever replace you he will be surrounded by people who will constantly remind him what a great man his father was. You will never be forgotten.”

Snowflakes started falling from the sky and Blaine held Burt’s jacket around himself tightly, wiping his tears with the sleeve.

“I’m happy right now, you know. I have friends just like I used to before I became this. I also have a father figure which I never had. I got so lucky… I just wish you were here to see it for yourself. I’m not the boy I was when I came to you from the training centre and not even the boy I was when I ran away. I’m stronger and more confident. Most of the days I don’t even feel like a slave anymore. When I’m around Burt or Kurt, or Puck I feel like a free person I used to be. And Mini Coop… he makes me feel so normal. He had never seen me and the first instinct he had when he first saw me was to run to me, no questions asked. I finally feel like myself.

“You know, so many people saved my life and I thanked all of them but I don’t think I ever voiced my gratitude to you. You are the first one who saved me. If you hadn’t bought me I don’t know where I would be now. Thanks to you I am where I am now. I will be a person you would have been proud to call your brother, I promise, for you.

“I love you, big brother. I’ll come back to see you soon,” Blaine finished and with one last look at the tombstone he walked away.

When he climbed into the car Burt gave him a sympathetic look. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Blaine said and finally he believed himself. “I’m okay.”

***

They didn’t talk much during the rest of the drive home but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable like it was during the drive to Columbus. Blaine’s mind was buzzing with excitement the closer they got to Lima. Visiting Cooper gave him a sort of closure and he felt at peace with himself.

When he finally stepped out of the car he sprinted to the door only to be disappointed he would have to wait until Burt came to unlock the door. They finally got inside and Blaine ran upstairs looking for Kurt. He opened the door to the boy’s room without eve knocking and came face to face with the said boy since he was on his way to leave the room upon hearing them downstairs.

“Blaine–” Kurt's eyes lit up but Blaine didn’t see much of them as he threw himself at the boy and hugged him as tightly as he could.

“I’m yours, I’m all yours,” he said squeezing the boy’s body. “Nobody can take me away from you now.”

“What? I don’t get it,” the boy said confused but Blaine didn’t care. He had Kurt in his arms and nobody could separate them now.

Luckily for Kurt Burt soon appeared in the doorway with some documents in his hands. “Hey, Kurt. I have an early birthday present for you,” he said with a smile. Blaine let go of Kurt because he wanted to see Kurt’s face when he heard the news. “I got you a slave.”

“What?” it only made Kurt more confused.

“Well, not a slave, the slave,” Burt laughed and winked at Blaine.

“I’m yours, Kurt,” he said with the biggest toothy smile. “Legally.”

“But…” the teen looked between the two of them trying to comprehend what was happening. “How… I mean, it’s impossible… Lauren couldn’t have that done. And it’s just… What happened?”

Burt gave Blaine the documents and patted him on his back. “I need to go to the shop now. Blaine can explain everything. I’ll be back in an hour or so. If police comes just show them these papers and call me if you need anything, alright?”

“Sure,” Kurt said and watched his dad leave. “Now, um, please, explain me what’s going on because I’m lost here.”

“Okay,” Blaine smiled. “Can we sit down? My calves are killing me.”

Kurt raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment on that. They sat down on the bed and Blaine arranged himself comfortably so he was no longer in pain.

“These are my real ownership papers,” he said and gave the documents to Kurt, who started flipping them over. “They have your name now. I’m your slave now.”

“I… wow,” the boy looked over the documents with wide eyes. “How…”

“It’s a long story,” Blaine said smiling. It was a long and painful story but it now had a happy ending so it was a pleasure to tell.

Kurt got to the last page and looked at it funnily. “What’s that?”

Blaine looked at the paper Kurt raised a little and laughed. “My nephew drew it. It’s me with him,” he explained.

“Your…”

“Nephew, yes,” Blaine nodded. “My brother’s son. He is almost two years old and he is so cute. You’ll have to meet him. Only if you want to, of course.”

“Um, I… just… I’m at a loss of words,” Kurt shook his head a little. “I really need the full story here because for all I know you went to Lauren’s last night and today you come back with your authentic ownership papers and a drawing made by your nephew?”

“Okay, I’ll start at the beginning….”

And he did. He told everything he had told Burt before and more. He told him about the boy his parents saw him with. He told him in more detail about the training. He told him all about his brother’s failed attempts to bring him back to normal after buying him. He told him more about his life with Karofskys. And then he got to the part where he and Burt went to Columbus. He talked and watched Kurt’s facial expressions change, going from sadness to relief, from crying to smiling.

Somewhere in the middle of the story they ended up lying on the bed facing each other. They were close but not close enough to touch.

“You’ve been through so much but you are still the most positive person I’ve ever met,” Kurt said through his tears when Blaine told him how he and Burt drove back to Lima. “You inspire me to be strong.”

Blaine watched the boy in front of him and he felt like something in him gave in. All those insecurities were gone now. This kind boy was giving him his heart and he should treat it with love and respect, not just ignore it. If Kurt really thought he could make him happy then he would spend every waking moment trying to do so. If Kurt believed in him he could believe in himself too.

“I can’t imagine my life without you,” he said and saw Kurt smile. “You complete me, Kurt. All the missing pieces of my life came together today but there is still one, the most important piece missing and it’s you. I know you are right here but not in a way I wish you were.

“The first time I saw you my first thought wasn’t ‘be a slave-like, kneel, bow,’ all I could think of was how pretty you were. And then I got to know you and I saw that you had the most beautiful soul. You know, if I was a free person I would get all my friends to help me serenade you and I would shower you with compliments until you gave in and agreed to go on a date with me.

“But I am what I am, just a silly slave falling for his owner no matter how movie cliché that is. I know you deserve better than me but if you do feel the same way about me then I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy. I just, um, wanted to let you know this. So yeah, that’s all.”

He felt stupid now. Kurt was staring at him with his eyes wide open and Blaine panicked. Maybe he misinterpreted Kurt’s words. Maybe he liked him but didn’t want to be together. He probably just ruined his friendship with the boy.

“Are you saying what I think you are saying?” Kurt asked in a shaky voice. “That you want to be with me?”

“Well, yeah, that’s what I’m saying,” Blaine blushed and lowered his eyes. “Don’t worry if you don’t want to, I won’t make things awkward, we will just pretend this never happened.”

“I can’t pretend this never happened,” Kurt said and Blaine looked up again. “Remember the day we met in the park and there were swans in the lake? You were starving but you still threw the food I gave you into the water so the birds wouldn’t starve to death. That’s when you stole my heart. And I would be honoured to call you my boyfriend.”

“You mean it?” Blaine’s heart started to beat faster as hope filled his chest.

“Absolutely,” Kurt said and took his hand.

“I really want to kiss you right now,” the slave boy blurted out.

“I won’t stop you,” Kurt smiled.

Blaine eyed the other boy’s face trying to see any doubt. “Are you sure? Because after what happened with–”

“You are ruining the moment, Blaine.”

“I just want to be sure that you will be okay if I kiss you.”

“I will be better than okay if you do that.”

“Okay,” Blaine smiled and inched towards Kurt.

He felt the boy’s hand squeezing his as if to reassure him it was alright and finally all worries left Blaine’s mind. He closed his eyes as he felt his lips touching Kurt’s. It felt like home.


	42. Chapter 42

**January 9, 2013**

The boys parted moments later, a chaste close-mouthed kiss just right for the first time. They opened their eyes at the same time and smiled.

“Are you okay?” Blaine asked.

“I am whenever I’m with you,” Kurt answered dreamily.

“That was cheesy but I’m glad you feel that way because I do too,” the slave boy said. “Can I kiss you again?”

“You don’t need to ask, you know.”

Blaine shook his head as much as his position allowed. “I do. I don’t want to be like Dave who forced himself on you. I want to be sure you give me your consent.”

Kurt thought for a moment. “Thank you, you are really considerate. You know, let’s do this… If you want to kiss me, you don’t need to ask me because you have my consent and always will. But if you want to do something more, something new, then, please, ask me beforehand.”

“Okay,” Blaine said and stole a gentle kiss. “Same goes to you. You can always kiss me but if there is anything else…”

“I’ll ask,” Kurt agreed and kissed Blaine softly.

“I’m going to love this,” the slave boy said with a smile that faltered moments after. “We can’t postpone the talk any longer, you know, no matter how much we’d like that…”

“What talk?”

“The Dave thing? I know it’s affecting you more than you are showing…”

“Can we not talk about it?” Kurt frowned, not really looking at Blaine. “Now that we have your legal documents he can’t do anything to me.”

“I know but what about the things that already happened? What he did to you was awful–”

“Just drop it,” Kurt snapped defensively and took his hand away from Blaine’s. “I’m happy right now and I don’t want to think about that beast. Can you, please, respect that?”

“I… of course, I’m sorry,” Blaine lowered his gaze. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Shit, no,” Kurt cursed and grabbed the slave’s hand, “I didn’t mean it like that. I should be the one apologising. You are trying to help me and I’m grateful but these days I snap very easily. I’m sorry.”

“It’s perfectly understandable, don’t worry,” Blaine sighed in relief when their hands touched again. “I won’t push you. We can talk about something else.”

“You could tell me how things were at Lauren’s? You skipped that part of the story.”

“It was awful…”

“Really?” Kurt’s eyes widened. “What the hell happened?”

“I think they were trying to kill me, Kurt,” Blaine said in a mocking hurt voice.

Kurt snorted when he caught up with what the other boy was doing. “Drama queen much?”

“No, you don’t understand, they made me exercise so much that I can feel muscles that I didn’t even know existed! And for breakfast Mrs Zizes made me a protein shake. It tasted like bricks!” the slave boy shuddered.

“And how do you know what bricks taste like?” Kurt teased him.

“I may have licked one when I was a kid but it’s not the point. I wanted to go home the whole time. I really missed your cooking even if it was just one day. And you. I missed you and I wished I had had you there with me…”

“You wished I had been suffering with you? Now that’s not nice,” the boy laughed. “Come on, let’s go downstairs and I’ll make you your favourite.”

“Lasagne?” Blaine asked hopefully.

“Yup,” Kurt confirmed.

“Mmmm…”

“Are you daydreaming about my lasagne?”

“Maybe?” Blaine said innocently.

“You are impossible,” Kurt laughed and gave him a peck on his lips. “Let’s go.”

“Mind if I call Puck first? I want to tell him the news,” the slave boy asked and sat up with a great difficulty.

“Sure thing. I’ll be in the kitchen, come find me when you are done, I might need your help,” Kurt said and left the room.

Blaine stood up and couldn’t help the grin that appeared on his face. He finally had his life together. He only needed to make sure Kurt got better and then he would be perfectly happy. The boy decided he wouldn’t push his _boyfriend_ to talk but he would keep an eye on him until Kurt came to him by himself.

When he found his phone just where he had left it before running away Blaine was disappointed to see it was out of battery. He was too impatient to wait until he could switch it on so he went into Kurt’s room sure that the other boy wouldn’t mind if he borrowed his phone for a call.

Kurt’s phone was on the nightstand and Blaine took it just as it started to vibrate announcing a new message. He didn’t mean to read it but it appeared on the screen and he couldn’t help but see what it said.

“What the…” the slave boy whispered to himself and found his way into the messages where he found more messages from the same contact named _Don’t Answer_. He read them from the newest going up.

 _Don’t Answer_ : im gonna kill ya

 _Don’t Answer_ : and if ya tell any1 wat hapend

 _Don’t Answer_ : and gonna tell every1 if ya don com

 _Don’t Answer_ : gonna go to police

 _Don’t Answer_ : got wat ya diservd

 _Don’t Answer_ : ya sick fag

Blaine scrolled back to the bottom to see if he really read the newest message right. Someone just threatened Kurt to kill him and he was sure it was Dave. Fuming with anger the boy ran downstairs and into the kitchen to find Kurt grating cheese.

“Hey–” Kurt began but was cut off by Blaine.

“What the hell is this, Kurt?” he asked gesturing with the phone in his right hand.

“Why are you going through my phone?” the other boy asked angrily staring at his possession in Blaine’s hand.

“I wasn’t going through your phone. I wanted to call Puck and I accidentally saw a new message from Dave, I suppose. When were you planning to tell me or your dad about this, huh?”

“I can handle this on my own,” Kurt said and snatched his phone from Blaine. “So you are one of those guys who go through their boyfriends’ phone, huh? I guess I’ll have to lock my phone from now on.”

“Don’t make this about me. Dave threatened to kill you and all you are saying is that you can handle it? Well, excuse me, but I don’t think you can.”

“He did what?” Kurt asked in horror and quickly tapped on his phone.

Blaine saw his face pale and worry took anger’s place. “Kurt?” he asked gently.

“I… he never… he said things but never… this,” the boy whispered and threw his phone onto the kitchen table as if it burnt him.

“Hey, he won’t touch you,” the slave said and wrapped his arms around Kurt’s slightly shaking body. “We’ll talk to your dad, go to police or something… It will be okay.”

“I just want all this to be over,” Kurt breathed into Blaine’s neck. “Can’t everyone just leave us be?”

“Everything will be okay,” the slave boy said even though he knew it was an empty promise.

“Kiss me?” Kurt asked hopefully and Blaine was happy to comply.

It wasn’t like any kiss they had shared before. It started just like that but soon Kurt started to move his lips, prompting Blaine to do the same. It was a slow kiss but it was full of desperation and the need to be reassured that there was still something positive in their lives that nobody could take away from them and it was their feelings for each other.

They parted only when they heard the door being unlocked.

“Boys! I’m home and I brought a few people who would like to see you,” Burt’s voice came from the doorway and they heard hustle following his words.

“We are in the kitchen, dad,” Kurt shouted and took a few steps back but Blaine took his hand looking intently at him.

“I don’t want to hide,” he whispered.

Kurt looked at their intervened hands and nodded with a smile. “Okay.”

They stood in the middle of the kitchen holding hands when Burt came in with a few teens following. Puck was right behind the man with Rachel and Lauren. Blaine could also see an Asian couple and he assumed it was Mike with his girlfriend and owner Tina.

“Why haven’t you told me?” Puck asked and hugged Blaine effectively separating the boys’ hands. “This is so awesome, Blainers.”

“I didn’t have a free moment to call you, I’m sorry,” the slave boy said when Puck released him from his embrace. “I was just about to do that.”

“Blaine,” Rachel spoke next, “I just want you to know that I’m happy that everything worked out for you and I also want you to know that I was ready to help.”

“Be more egocentric, I dare you,” Lauren scoffed making everyone laugh and Rachel blush.

“I’m sorry, I was just saying that if you need my help ever again all you need to do is ask,” the girl muttered.

“Thank you,” Blaine smiled at her. “It means a lot.”

When silence settled Mike cleared his throat and both slaves looked at each other. “I’m going to hug you now if that’s okay because I feel like I’ve known you for ages and I always hug my close friends,” Mike spoke and they hugged each other somewhat awkwardly.

“It’s great to meet you properly,” Blaine said. “You too, Tina, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Same goes to you,” the girl smiled at him.

“So I was thinking of ordering a few pizzas to celebrate. What do you think?” Burt offered happily.

“We were about to make lasagne,” Kurt shrugged. “We could make some for everyone.”

“Lame,” Puck growled. “It will take forever. Let’s order in.”

The kids murmured in agreement and Kurt looked at Blaine apologetically. “Next time,” he said and took the boy’s hand.

“Oh, so you told him?” Burt asked Blaine. “You said you wouldn’t tell Kurt about the phone call.”

The slave boy was shaking his head looking at the man when Kurt looked at him. “What phone call?”

“Today when you called me… Oh, wait, no. I must have been thinking of something else. Yeah, you know, I’m getting old, my memory is to not be trusted. Um hum, forget what I said.”

“Blaine? Care to explain?” Kurt asked feeling everyone’s eyes on them.

The boy sighed in defeat not wanting to lie. “I was in the car when you called Burt and you were on the speaker… I’m sorry we didn’t get ice-cream for you,” he added with an apologetic smile hoping his boyfriend wouldn’t get angry.

“So you knew I liked you when you said all those things?”

“I did but it doesn’t mean anything,” Blaine assured him quickly. “Everything I said was true. It’s just that knowing that you felt the same way gave me hope you would give us a chance and it gave me courage to tell you about my feelings.”

“Wait, so you two are finally together?” Puck asked grinning. “Way to go, princess. I’ve been rooting for you two.”

“More things to celebrate,” Rachel smiled widely at them. “Congratulations you two. You might be a weird couple but I wish you happiness.”

“Don’t listen to her, Kurt,” Tina rolled her eyes. “Just because Blaine is a slave doesn’t mean you can’t have a proper relationship. You will be just as happy as Mike and I are. I’m sure of it.”

“Oh, you two are dating?” Rachel blushed again. “You… look cute together.”

“So, pizzas?” Lauren asked to lighten the mood.

“Alright,” Burt said and picked up his phone.

Twenty minutes later they were all sitting in the living room waiting for the food t arrive. Burt had told them he would leave them be for the evening but kids insisted that the man should stay with them to celebrate. Puck might have told him he would keep following him around the house if the man didn’t stay with them.

They were in the middle of Rachel’s report of how she was treating her slave so that the others could help her when the doorbell rang.

“It must be pizza,” Kurt said and ran to open the door.

It wasn’t what he expected to see. Right in front of him two unfriendly-looking police officers were standing there, one of them holding some papers. Behind them he saw Karofsky grinning at him.

“Hello, are you living in this household?” one of the officers asked.

“Yes, I’m Kurt Hummel,” the boy said nervously.

“I’m officer White and this is my colleague officer Karofsky,” the same man introduced them. “We were told by Mr Dave Karofsky that there might be an illegal slave being kept here. We are here to investigate.”

“Dad?” Kurt yelled, lost in what he was supposed to do.


	43. Chapter 43

**January 9, 2013**

Kurt sat nervously on the couch in-between Blaine and his dad. The officers were in front of them looking through Blaine’s ownership documents that Burt had brought to the men. Karofsky was right next to them frowning at the papers.

“They must be fake,” the jock said sending daggers to Kurt with his eyes. “I know that this slave is a stray. They forged the papers.”

“Blaine is legally ours, we bought him back in November right after we moved back to the States,” Burt said calmly. Kurt knew it was taking a lot from the man to remain calm but the knowledge of their innocence was helping a lot. “I will not stand empty accusations in my own house.”

“I’m sorry, Sir,” Officer White said and put the documents onto the coffee table. “The papers seem alright but we can’t be sure without a proper investigation. I will ask you to come with us.”

Kurt’s jaw dropped at the words and he looked at his dad with utter shock. Burt had an unreadable expression on his face and it only worried his son more.

“For how long?” Burt asked slowly.

“Until the investigation is closed and we can go from there,” the same officer explained. “Is there any adult that could take care of your son in the meantime?”

“You can’t take my dad!” Kurt exclaimed. “We didn’t do anything wrong. We bought Blaine from his owner and just because this… this… _guy_ is telling you lies… You can’t seriously believe him over us when we showed you the documents.”

“Kurt–”

“No, dad,” the boy shook his head. “It’s unfair. You can investigate without taking my dad away. Why do you need to lock him up for this?”

“It’s what the protocol says,” the other officer said.

The teen snorted. “Does the protocol also say that relatives get special treatment? Because I can’t see why _he_ should be here,” he said pointing at Dave.

“My nephew is here because he needed to identify the slave to make sure we don’t make any mistakes,” Officer Karofsky said. “It has nothing to do with special treatment whatsoever.”

“How can I be sure that you are unbiased when this has something to do with your nephew, officer?” Burt asked. “From what I’ve heard this guy has some problems with my son. How do you know he isn’t doing this out of spite?”

Officer White was the first to speak. “We investigate all cases we hear of. Now, will you go willingly with us, Mr. Hummel?”

Kurt grabbed his dad’s hand. “No, you can’t do this,” he said, fear audible in his voice. He saw Dave smirking at him.

“Excuse me?” a timid voice came from the doorway and only then Kurt remembered his friends.

When the officers came over they asked to speak in privacy and all the kids, except for Kurt and Blaine, left the living room. Kurt thought they might have left altogether but apparently they hadn’t.

“Yes, Miss…”

“Rachel Berry, officer,” the girl spoke with a bit more confidence and came into the living room. “If I may I can testify that Kurt really bought this slave. You see, last year I was looking to buy a slave for myself and Kurt was going to do the same. We were looking online together and I bought one in the end but Kurt said it was too expensive for him so he looked for a second-hand slave. And that’s how he found this one.”

“And I have a proof that this slave has been here for a while,” Lauren said coming into the view, others following her. She gave Officer White a piece of paper. “This is a permission signed by Kurt Hummel that allows me to take this slave to my parents’ house several times a week for training. It’s dated back in December.”

The officers looked at the paper sceptically. “I need to see your signature, kid,” Officer Karofsky said and gave Kurt his notebook and a pen.

The teen looked at the items nervously, then at Lauren, who gave him a short nod, and put his signature on the paper. The officers compared the two, Kurt’s heart speeding up dangerously.

“Seems alright,” Officer White concluded much to Kurt’s surprise. “What kind of training is it?”

“Physical training like boxing and such,” Lauren explained.

“And why would you need to train a slave?” Officer Karofsky asked eyeing Kurt curiously.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Rachel asked rhetorically when she saw Kurt struggling to come up with a plausible answer.

“No, it’s not,” Dave interrupted. “This is some bullshit.”

“It’s perfectly reasonable for Kurt to desire a better looking slave,” Rachel explained as if she hadn’t heard the jock’s words. “You see, when you are buying a second-hand thing you don’t have many options. Look at this slave, does he look attractive to you? No. He is too skinny and lacks abs. Hence, some exercising. Boxing lessons are probably the cheapest so that’s why Kurt chose them. Personally I would give my slave some exercising DVDs but this thing over here can’t be trusted with technology.”

“Okay, but this still doesn’t prove anything,” Officer White said, obviously getting impatient.

“Then why don’t you just call the chick they bought Blaine from?” Puck asked in an equally impatient voice. “Ask her these things and be done with it.”

The officers shared a look and Officer White shrugged. “Fine, we can do it now,” he said and picked up his phone.

“Put it on speaker,” Officer Karofsky said when his colleague dialled the number found on the papers.

Two rings later Cassandra’s voice filled the room.

“Cassandra July-Anderson speaking.”

“Hello, Mrs July-Anderson. This is Officer White speaking. I’d like to talk about slave MK34-28-6L,” he purposefully misread from the document.

“Um, I’ve never heard of such slave,” the woman replied. “The only slave I ever owned was MK34-29-6L. Also known as Blaine Anderson.”

“Oh yeah, right, sorry about my mistake,” the man said. “Can you tell me about this slave’s whereabouts?”

“I’m not sure, really. I haven’t seen him for a while now, ever since I sold him.”

“Do you remember the name of the person who bought it?”

“Burt… Hu… Hughey maybe? I can’t remember.”

“Could have it been Hummel?”

“Possible. I don’t know. What’s the purpose of this call?”

“It came to our attention that this slave might have come into Mr Hummel’s possession illegally. Do you remember when you sold it?”

“I’m not sure. It was definitely before Christmas because I used the money I got to buy my son a present… Maybe beginning of December? Or the end of November, I don’t know. I’m sure you can see the date on the papers. Honestly, officer, I sold that slave to get rid of my problems not to get into new ones.”

“I’m sorry, Mrs July-Anderson, I won’t bother you any longer,” the officer said. “Thank you for your cooperation.”

“Of course. Have a nice day,” Cassandra said and ended the call.

“I guess there is nothing else for us to do here,” Officer Karofsky said looking at his colleague.

“I can’t believe you are buying this!” Dave yelled at his uncle. “They are all lying, you should investigate some more.”

“We did everything we had to, even though we were supposed to do it in the station,” Officer White said somewhat accusingly. “You must have made a mistake, kid.”

“Sir, may I speak?” Blaine asked looking at Kurt, his head downcast respectfully.

Kurt looked at him confused before catching up with what he was trying to do. “You may,” words left his mouth unwillingly.

“Officers, could you, please, tell me what happens to a person, who threatens another person’s life?” Blaine asked looking warily at the men in front of him.

“That’s a serious crime,” Officer Karofsky said looking at the slave curiously. “Anything you want to tell us?”

Blaine shook his head instantly. “No, Sir, but my Master might want to,” he said and Kurt’s mouth fell open.

“I... no, I mean, Blaine must have...”

“What’s going on, Kurt?” Burt asked sternly.

“Nothing, dad-”

“Please, Master, forgive me but I have to,” Blaine looked at Kurt pleadingly and then at the officers. “My Master’s life was threatened by this boy over here. Master still has his texts.”

“I–” Dave choked as all eyes set on him. That was when all hell broke loose.

***

Many curses and threats later Officer White dragged Dave out of the house and into their car. Officer Karofsky lingered a bit longer. The man looked at Blaine and then at Kurt.

“You take a good care of him, alright, young man?”

Kurt gaped at him not knowing what to say. Before he could come up with anything the officer gave the slave a friendly nod, apologised for wasting their time and left with a promise to inform Burt about the proceedings with his nephew’s case.

Burt and kids stayed silent after that as nobody knew where to start. It wasn’t until Rachel spoke up that the silence was broken.

“Blaine, what I said about you earlier–”

“Thank you for saying all those things,” the slave boy interrupted her.

“Just for the record, I don’t think you are ugly or anything,” the girl continued. “You are quite handsome actually.”

“If it wasn’t for you, kids, I would have been taken to the station and I preferred staying for pizza,” Burt laughed even though some tension was audible in his voice.

“Which leads to my question,” Kurt said frowning at Lauren. “My signature… how?”

“Mike’s idea, Lauren’s text, Puck’s forgery, my paper,” Tina explained. “And Rachel said it would be believable. Since, you know, she knows more about slaves than any of us.”

The doorbell rang again before anyone could say anything else. “If it’s not pizza this time I’m not letting this person in,” Kurt laughed and went to open the door. It was pizza after all.

***

After the kids left Burt and the boys cleaned up the dishes and tidied the kitchen. The man kept chatting with Blaine about various things to keep their minds off things while Kurt didn’t participate much in the conversation. They didn’t talk about what had happened earlier since nobody wanted to go _there_. It was like they all silently agreed to keep that talk for the next day until they were ready for it.

No matter how hard they tried to pretend everything was normal, they couldn’t completely ignore the issue since it affected them all and mostly Kurt. It was like his mind was somewhere else and even though it worried Blaine the boy decided to talk to him later when they were in private. He just didn’t think Burt was needed there when he approached Kurt with the question that had been nagging him ever since the officers left.

It didn’t take long for the trio to clean up and soon Burt retreated to his bedroom since he was tired and the boys went to Kurt’s bedroom. Blaine wasn’t sure if the other boy wanted him there but he was willing to take the risk.

“Kurt, are you angry at me?” he asked, his voice small, showing just how scared he was that he might have just lost something he had been dreaming of having for a long time.

“What? Why are you asking me that?” Kurt asked obviously confused as he moved to the bathroom.

Blaine sighed. “I’ll wait for you to come out because I want to talk to you eye to eye,” he said and sat down on the edge of Kurt’s bed.

Seconds later a sound of running water filled the room and Kurt came out of the bathroom with some unlit scented candles in his hands.

“So, um, why do you think I’m angry with you?” he asked.

e

 

 

“I don’t know, I just get this vibe from you… It’s just that you haven’t talked to me much this afternoon, you know, since the police left,” Blaine explained with a shrug. “I know you are probably emotionally exhausted after the whole ordeal and it’s probably selfish to make this about me and ask you… Um, I’ll just go with it… Are you angry I forced you to tell everyone about Dave’s threat?”

“Oh…” Kurt mouthed. He set the candles on the table and sat down next to Blaine. “No, I’m not angry. At least not anymore. I didn’t like that I didn’t have time to actually make my own decision what to do with this situation but I know why you did it so no, I’m not angry. I’m not too happy about it but I know that you did what you thought was best for me. So, well, thank you for that.”

Blaine nodded thoughtfully but didn’t relax. “Then what did I do wrong? Because there must be a reason why you gave me a cold shoulder…”

Kurt thought for a moment before answering. “It wasn’t meant to come off as a ‘cold shoulder’… I’m just… you can say I was lost in my thoughts? The conversation between you and my dad didn’t interest me so my thoughts consumed me.”

“What were you thinking about?” Blaine eyed Kurt carefully.

“Various things… You, mostly,” he responded but didn’t elaborate, probably hoping to get out of the conversation easily.

But Blaine wasn’t having any of that. “It must have been some heavy thoughts…”

Kurt nodded and took his hand. “I was thinking about the way you were when you talked about Dave. I mean, you were so slave-like in front of the officers and it reminded me of how you used to be… I’m just really proud of you, okay?” Kurt said with tears in his eyes. “And I don’t want to see you like that ever again… Because you are mine and I can order you to not be a slave. So please, wherever you are, whomever with, just be yourself, okay?”

Blaine’s head hung in disappointment for a mere second. Of course Kurt was thinking about him even after everything he had gone through himself. The slave had hoped that the boy would forget everyone else and just care for himself for once. It wasn’t healthy how he ignored his own problems and focused on someone else. He piled it under the things he would have to talk to Kurt eventually but now wasn’t the right time.

“I… yeah, just… Kurt, you know well enough that I don’t like acting like a slave either but there are situations when it’s easier to pretend. It would have looked suspicious if we had been too friendly today.”

“You are probably right. It still doesn’t change the fact that I hated seeing you like that,” he shrugged.

“I get it,” Blaine said slowly, “at least I think I do. I promise it won’t happen often, only when it’s absolutely necessary, okay?”

“Okay,” Kurt gave him a small smile. “Karofsky’s uncle, he was weird in the end,” he said out of nowhere, as if he had been suppressing that thought for a while.

Blaine nodded at the statement. He had thought the exact same thing. “I think it was him who ‘anonymously’ ratted out Karofskys when I lived with them,” he shared his assumption. “It’s the only explanation. That’s how I ended up leaving their house safely without being taken away. Not to mention that he recognised me, that’s for sure… The other one must be new in Lima if he hadn’t recognised me.”

“Rachel hadn’t recognised you either when she first saw you.”

“She did next time when she got a better look. The first time she didn’t take a good look, there was no time for that,” Blaine argued.

“True,” Kurt murmured and lay back on his bed ending the topic there.

“How do you feel knowing that Dave will most likely go to juvie?” Blaine spoke carefully, hoping to not cause his boyfriend more negative emotions but too worried not to ask. They would have a proper conversation later but before he went to bed he needed to know that Kurt would be able to sleep at night.

“I’m not sure. Safer maybe? But he may also tell his friends to hunt me down so I don’t know.”

Blaine lay on his side next to Kurt and wrapped his arm safely around the boy. “You have Puck to protect you. And Lauren. And Rachel is louder than anyone else I have ever met. You have friends now so you’ll be alright even if Dave arranges something, which I doubt he will. And if someone gives you hell, I will lock you in the basement, wrap you in some blankets, hug you very tightly and never let you go,” he finished with a smile and gave Kurt a peck on his lips.

“Can you still do that even if nobody picks on me?” Kurt asked half-jokingly.

“I’d do anything just so I could have you all to myself,” Blaine winked at him playfully and saw a blush spread over Kurt’s pale face as the boy relaxed slightly. “You are so beautiful…”

They were about to kiss again when Burt burst into the room with his eyes covered by his hand. “Please, cover your indecency, boys, I need to have a word with you,” he announced with a teasing tone, trying to look as if everything was normal. Even though it was too forced, the boys went with it.

“We are decent, dad,” Kurt said with an eye roll and sat up. “What do you want to talk to us about?”

“I just talked to Cassandra,” Burt explained and lowered his hand.

“What did she say?” Blaine asked getting up on his elbows.

“I called her to explain what that call earlier was about. I didn’t want to keep her in the dark,” the man said. “She also wanted to ask about you, Blaine, visiting Mini Coop on Saturday like you promised him. She wanted to know if you would like to spend the night.”

“Yes, I’d love that,” Blaine beamed at the offer before looking at Kurt. “Can I?”

“Blaine,” Kurt looked angrily at his boyfriend.

“Just joking,” the slave boy laughed. “Yes, Burt, it would be great if I could spend the night.”

“And you, Kurt?”

“Me?”

“Apparently Cassandra told Coop that one day Blaine will bring other cool uncles to visit him and the boy doesn’t shut up about it so Cassie decided to invite you three for a sleepover with her son.”

“I really can’t wait to meet Cooper… Wait, you said three?” Kurt asked confused before the only other possible ‘uncle’ came into his mind. “A sleepover with Noah? Yay!” he finished with no enthusiasm at all.

“Come on, it will be fun, you’ll see,” Blaine said with a wide grin on his face. “Please, say yes.”

Kurt needed this, he decided. He had seen so much negativity in the world in the last few weeks that it would be good for him to spend some time with a loving, innocent child. It could be the first step in the process of him getting back on his feet.

“Of course I’ll say yes,” Kurt assured him with a smile. “Nothing will stop me from seeing your closest family. But you will have to go shopping with me because I refuse to go without any presents for the kid.”

Blaine opened his mouth to say something and then it hit him – he could go out with Kurt freely now. Kurt was his official owner and nobody could take him away from him anymore. He didn’t have to hide in the house anymore.

“Yeah, I’ll go with you,” he said in the end.

The smile that appeared on Kurt’s face told him that they would be okay. There were many issues to solve and many emotional wounds to heal but in that moment Blaine felt most hopeful. Because Kurt was strong enough to get better. And Blaine would be by his side every step of the way.


	44. Chapter 44

**August 11, 2014**

Kurt Hummel always hated packing. Two last times he had to pack his things up he was moving from home to a place unknown for him. First it was moving to France, not only another country but also a different continent far, far away. Next, it was coming back after many years. At that time he hadn’t remembered Lima and his whole life was in Paris. Both times it sucked.

This time, though, he was excited, all because he was going to college. And some other reasons too.

For the first time the boy didn’t leave his packing for the last minute so he could enjoy revisiting memories that some of his belongings held.

Kurt sighed deeply when he saw Blaine’s notebook where he started writing his first songs.

_It began early in spring nearing the end of Kurt’s senior year. Slowly Blaine started spending more and more time in his room or walking around the town alone. At first Kurt didn’t think much of it until it got unnerving when Burt asked him if they were broken up. That was when Kurt started paying a better attention at his boyfriend’s behaviour._

_His dad was right – they really did look like they had broken up. They hardly talked, not that Kurt didn’t try. Whenever asked by one of his friends at school about how Blaine was doing he couldn’t really answer because he just didn’t know. They stopped cuddling and whenever they all watched a movie together with Burt or friends, the slave boy made sure to sit further from his official owner._

_It was getting worse with each day and Kurt couldn’t take it anymore. Gathering his courage, thinking that he was facing the end of their relationship, he found himself in front of Blaine’s room and knocked._

_“Come in,” Blaine’s voice came from inside the room._

_Kurt pushed the door open and stood in the doorway. “Hey, what are you doing?” he asked._

_Blaine who was sitting in his bed motioned with a notebook in his hand. “Just trying to put some words in right places… Is there something important you want? ‘Cause I’m kind of busy,” he finished coldly._

_“I… yeah, there is something important actually,” Kurt said and closed the door. He sat down on the bed and looked at Blaine. “I’ll just say it… Do you want to break up?”_

_Blaine’s mouth opened in a perfect ‘o’ and the notebook dropped from his hand. “I… do you?”_

_“No, of course I don’t. I love you, okay? But recently it just doesn’t feel like you feel the same way so I was wondering if you were just waiting for me to break up with you so you didn’t have to do that,” Kurt mumbled playing with the hem of his shirt._

_“I love you, too, I do,” Blaine said and bit his bottom lip. “I just… I’m going to miss you so much when you go to New York.”_

_“Why would you miss me?” Kurt asked confused._

_“So you won’t miss_ me _?” the other boy asked and Kurt couldn’t miss the hurt in his voice._

_“Well, I would, but seeing how I’m taking you with me I can’t see why we should miss each other while sharing an apartment.”_

Kurt knew he could never forget the look on Blaine’s face when he realised that no, Kurt wasn’t leaving him in Lima after all. Later that day Burt pretended to be offended that Blaine was so happy to leave as if he was a bad company.

Carefully Kurt put the notebook next to his own books and closed one of the last boxes. They would be taking the most important things on the plane and later Burt would send them the rest. Well, mostly important things. Kurt couldn’t see why but Blaine insisted that their teddy bear Mr Honey travelled with them. The way the slave boy loved the toy always amused Kurt. When he suggested giving it to Mini Cooper Blaine bought him a new teddy bear instead and kept the old toy for himself. Kurt didn’t question it.

After some time the boy started looking through the table drawers to see if there was anything there worth taking. In the second one he found something he just had to have with him – his scrapbook. With a small smile Kurt sat down on his bed and opened the first page where he was met with the old receipt from the Lima Bean. He remembered how scared Blaine looked at first when he approached the boy and how happy he became when Kurt offered him a cup of hot tea. It was a painful memory but it was the beginning of what they had now so it was precious.

The boy looked through a few other pages until he saw a piece of an old thin wire tapped there. It was from one of the first times he and Blaine went for a drive after they got his ownership documents.

_They had gone shopping for a couple of times before but Blaine still seemed quite uncomfortable walking around the city, especially in the places he hadn’t been allowed into while he still lived on the streets. The mall was an especially weird experience for him._

_Sensing his discomfort Kurt didn’t push him to go out with him often, only when Blaine offered to keep him company and even then Kurt made sure he understood that he didn’t have to go just to help him with bags or anything else. That time was different though since it was Blaine who suggested going out._

_“Would you like to see where I used to live before you and your dad took me in?” he asked one evening when they were making banana bread in the kitchen._

_“You mean the factory?” Kurt asked absentmindedly. “I’ve been there, remember?”_

_“I know,” Blaine said and handed him two eggs, “but I was thinking of going back there and I was wondering if you would, maybe, want to accompany me?”_

_Kurt looked at him like he was crazy because he must have been. “Why would you want to go back there?”_

_“For closure? At least I was hoping that going back there would help me to finally close this page of my life for good. It would mean a lot to me if you were there with me.”_

_“Well, in that case, I’d love to go there with you,” Kurt said with a smile and gave his boyfriend a peck on his lips._

_That awful factory was the last place on Earth he wanted to go to but if it was important to Blaine, he could deal with the memories that this place held. After all, Blaine’s memories must have been even worse and if he was willing to make peace with them, so was he._

_The drive to the factory was mostly silent as they both kept their thoughts to themselves. They spoke for the first time when Kurt took a few blankets from the backseat._

_“What are those for?” Blaine asked when they started walking towards the building._

_“In case we get cold,” Kurt responded vaguely and the other boy didn’t question further._

_The two of them walked into the building and up the stairs. Everything looked different in the daylight, yet somehow even sadder. Especially when Kurt realised that it wasn’t just some abandoned building, it was his boyfriend’s_ home _for a long time. He took Blaine’s hand whether asking for support or offering it to the other boy he didn’t know._

_The first room they entered was spacious and had several chairs in it._

_“Remember how I told you I liked pretending I was at school?” Blaine said and his voice echoed in the room._

_“Is this where you did that?” Kurt asked looking around._

_“Yeah,” Blaine said and sat down on one of the old chairs._

_Kurt stood in front of him and looked at him solemnly. “Mr Anderson, what is the capital city of France?” he asked with a wink._

_The slave boy snorted. “It’s Paris, Mr Hummel,” he laughed._

_“Very well, Mr Anderson, you get an A for the participation in class.”_

_“You are the best, Mr Hummel,” Blaine said with a bright smile and stood up. “Let’s go, there is no need to stay here for longer than necessary.”_

_They walked into a couple more rooms, a place where the slave used to hide his most precious belongings and a place where once a cat used to live. They kept the conversation light until they stopped by the entrance to the place that Kurt hated the most._

_“This is where we found you,” he whispered not sure if he was ready to go in. There still might have been some traces of Blaine’s blood and it wasn’t something Kurt wanted to see._

_Blaine nodded and pulled his hand. “Let’s not go in there. I never spent much time in there anyway. It’s one of the coldest places in the building.”_

_“Oh, okay,” Kurt breathed in gratitude. “So, where to now?”_

_“Um, do you want to see where I used to sleep?” Blaine offered and Kurt’s eyes lit up, his hold on the blankets tightening._

_“Yeah, I’d love to,” he nodded._

_It wasn’t far, just a few steps away. Blaine opened the door and let Kurt in. It was a small room with a tiny window.  It wasn’t light but Kurt knew why Blaine must have chosen this place as his sleeping room – it should be the warmest place in the building._

_“So, yeah, this is it,” the slave said looking around the small place. “I used to sleep in here for over a year. Wow, time really flies…”_

_“It must have been really hard,” Kurt said not able to imagine himself in such position._

_“Still better than the streets,” Blaine shrugged. “Can we stay here for a moment?”_

_“Of course,” Kurt smiled and bent to spread the blankets on the floor. “Come here, let’s lie down.”_

_“I– Why am I not surprised?” Blaine asked with a chuckle as they both lay down on the blanket and Kurt covered them with another one. It was uncomfortable and cold but they couldn’t care less. “I don’t know what I did in my previous lives to deserve you but I’m so glad my previous selves were smart enough to be good people.”_

_“And you still are, a good person,” Kurt said and took Blaine’s hand. “After all the shit that happened to you, you still have the kindest heart. You should be proud of yourself, I know that_ I _am proud of you.”_

_“You make me a better person,” the slave said and held onto Kurt’s hand tighter. “You are brave and selfless. So smart and loving. I want to be like you when I grow up.”_

_Kurt laughed. “I’m sorry but it’s highly unlikely for you to grow anymore.”_

_It was Blaine’s turn to laugh. “You are mean,” he pouted. “Seriously though, if I had to go through everything I did again just so I could be with you, I would.”_

_“I feel the same, I would do anything for you.”_

_“Even kiss me on the dirty floor of an abandoned building?”_

_“Even that,” Kurt said and just as promised kissed his boyfriend with all the passion he had in himself._

_They didn’t stay long, just a couple of minutes before it got too cold. The boys stood up and Blaine walked towards the door when he saw Kurt lingering._

_“Is everything okay?” he asked watching as Kurt folded the blankets and put them in the corner._

_“Yeah, just leaving these here. You know, in case someone like you was looking for a shelter here,” the boy said and left the room together with his boyfriend, hoping to never see that place again._

They hadn’t been there after that one time. Blaine seemed to have found what he had been looking for and Kurt didn’t see the need to go there again. Ever since that day Blaine’s demeanour changed slightly. He looked more relaxed walking around the town as if he had said the final goodbye to his past and embraced his present – the life with friends and family that loved him.

As for his family, they all fell in love with Mini Coop and he with his mother Cassandra were frequent guests at the Hummel residence as well as they often visited the duo. Puck was still wary around the boy but nobody paid much attention to that since the teen really did have a good reason to be.

In the corner of the same page where the wire from the factory was Kurt noticed a string of dark hair taped there. It was one of his favourite memories and a running joke in their small family.

_The weekend after Blaine’s ownership documents came into Kurt’s hands, there was a sleepover held in Cassie’s home. She invited Blaine together with Kurt and Puck so that they could spend some time with Blaine’s nephew Cooper. Everything went smoothly until the morning._

_They were sleeping in Cooper’s room on the floor even though the house had enough rooms for all of them. But as Coop pointed out ‘you have to s’eep in one loom’ during a sleepover. And so they did._

_Kurt was awoken by someone freaking out._

_“Oh my god, oh my god,” someone was whispering._

_“M?” the boy yawned and opened his eyes. “What’s going on?” he asked._

_“Oh god, Kurt, look,” it was Blaine talking and Kurt saw him pointing at something._

_The boy rubbed his eyes and took a better look at where Blaine was pointing. “Oh my god,” he laughed._

_In front of him was the best sight in the whole world. Puck was sound asleep with half of his mohawk lying on the floor. In the meantime, Mini Coop was sleeping on the floor by Puck’s head with a pair of scissors in-between them._

_“This is priceless,” Kurt whispered and quickly found his phone to take a photo. He kept taking them until Puck woke up and freaked out himself. In the end Kurt had numerous photos to remember such a beautiful morning._

_“Cassandra is going to kill me if Puck doesn’t do that before her,” Blaine freaked out when his friend went into the bathroom to check the damage._

_“It’s okay, kids do crazy things sometimes,” Kurt tried to calm him down. “Where is his mother by the way?”_

_“She went out for shopping. Should come back in an hour or so… Do you think she will notice the lack of Puck’s hair?”_

_“Yeah, it’s kind of obvious, you know?” Kurt laughed. “Don’t worry so much, Noah will look much better without that stupid thing on his head.”_

_Blaine smiled at that. “You are right but he will be upset nevertheless…”_

_“True… So, Coop,” Kurt looked at the sleepy boy who had woken up during the commotion and had no idea what was going on, “you deserve ice-cream for breakfast today.”_

_The boy’s eyes lit up with joy but Blaine cut in before it got the boy’s hopes up. “Kurt, he can’t have ice-cream this early.”_

_“Oh come on, Blaine, just this time… He was a good boy,” Kurt said and winked at the boy who nodded eagerly._

_“No, he wasn’t good,” Blaine snapped. “We shouldn’t encourage such behaviour. What if he starts cutting anyone’s hair? It’s a bad thing.”_

_“I–” Kurt was about to respond when the little boy spoke up._

_“You sound like Lily’s mama and papa,” he said. “Her papa lets her do stuff and her mama says ‘no, no, no’ and then Lily can’t do that and so she loves her papa more, unc’ B’ane.”_

_“Um that’s… your friend should love both of her parents equally, Coop. They both love her a lot and want the best for her. Just because someone makes you do something you don’t like, it doesn’t mean they are bad. Like, you don’t like peas but your mother makes you eat them because they are good for you. You shouldn’t love her less for that,” Blaine explained the best he could. He lacked experience with kids._

_“Oh… Okay,” the boy said thoughtfully._

_“How about you go to the bathroom, apologise to uncle Puck and ask him to help you brush your teeth?” Blaine suggested and the boy left with a nod. “See, Kurt? He already likes you more than me and I want him to love us equally. I really don’t want him to see me as some monster who always says ‘no, no, no’ even if it’s for his own good because well, he doesn’t understand it’s for his own benefit. Could we, please, agree to discuss things like ice-cream first and not argue in front of him? I’d rather tell him it’s our mutual decision for him to not have ice-cream for breakfast…”_

_“I totally agree, I saw my mistake as soon as Coop told us about his friend. You are absolutely right, from now on we are one team.”_

_“Thank you, Kurt,” Blaine smiled at him. “We should probably talk to him why it’s a bad thing to cut someone’s hair without permission. Otherwise there might be some really bad consequences.”_

Kurt could proudly tell that ever since that incident Cooper didn’t cut a hair from any living creature’s head. Also, Puck forgot all about mohawks and sported a bald look from then on. He told everyone that papa Hummel inspired his new look. It might have also been one of the reasons why Lauren soon broke up with him but it wasn’t confirmed.

Looking over page after page of his scrapbook Kurt realised that there was nothing that didn’t have to do with Blaine as if he was a part of him now. In a way it was not only his scrapbook anymore, it was theirs.

As if on cue, Blaine entered the room. “What’s with the smile?” he asked putting his old boxing gloves in one of the boxes.

“Nothing, just looking through my old scrapbook,” Kurt explained and Blaine dropped on the bed next to him.

“What do these rose petals symbolise?” he asked when Kurt opened a page full of dried petals.

“Our first time, remember? You had my bed covered with them and I saved a few,” he explained.

“Ah that, we were awful back then,” Blaine laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, it was perfect in a way but we are much better now.”

_Dating was amazing, kissing was great too but soon the boys wanted more. With time their kisses became more heated and hands started wandering more boldly. So they talked and decided to take things to the next level._

_It was Saturday evening and with Burt gone to have an evening out with his co-workers the boys decided it was time to go further into the intimacy. Blaine kept him out of his room for some time and Kurt couldn’t help but wonder what the hell was going on. His question was answered as soon as the door to his bedroom opened._

_There were candles lit up everywhere, his bed was covered with red rose petals and a soft music was playing in the background._

_Blaine stood there looking nervous. “It’s too much, isn’t it?”_

_“No, it’s… perfect,” Kurt looked in awe. “Wow, you did this all for me… Thank you.”_

_“I’m glad you like it,” Blaine said and extended his hand that the other boy took._

_“So, how…” the slave boy said slowly._

_“How about we don’t over think and just go with the flow?” Kurt suggested. “I’d love to start with some kissing.”_

_“Yeah, kissing is very nice,” Blaine chuckled nervously as they sat down on the bed._

_“Blaine, love, we don’t have to do this if you are not ready,” Kurt said gently. “Or I could take the lead if you want to. I’ve read some stuff on the internet.”_

_“Actually I’ve watched some porn on your laptop,” Blaine said and blushed at how it sounded. “I mean, for this purpose only. I promise, nothing more!”_

_Kurt laughed and lay on his back, pulling Blaine on top. “And what did you learn?”_

_“That it always starts with an awful dialogue?” Blaine laughed feeling the mood becoming less tense. “So, I was promised some kissing I think…”_

_“That you were,” Kurt said capturing his lips with his own._

_They kissed lazily for a few minutes before Blaine got tired of kissing and started devouring Kurt’s neck. “Is it okay if I take your shirt off?” he asked uncertainly._

_“More than okay,” Kurt said and sat up a little so he could take his shirt off while Blaine took off his. “Those training sessions are so good for you. You look delicious.”_

_“You look even better,” Blaine said watching Kurt hungrily. “Could I… Maybe…”_

_“What?”_

_“I just thought maybe… could I touch your nipple?” the boy asked shyly eyeing the darkened nub._

_“Yeah, um, that sounds like a... great idea,” Kurt said swallowing thickly. “You can do that. And seriously, you don’t need to ask permission for every little thing.”_

_“Just making sure you are comfortable,” Blaine said._

_He slowly slid his fingers up from where his hand had laid on Kurt’s hip and soon reached his left nipple. The boy gently ran his finger over it until braving enough to squeeze it between his two fingers._

_Slightly startled Kurt let out a sound that was somewhere between a gasp and a meowl._

_“What was that?” Blaine laughed and saw Kurt blush in the dim light._

_“You caught me by surprise, okay?” the boy pouted._

_“Just teasing you, it was a very cute noise actually,” Blaine laughed again. “No, not cute, sexy, very sexy.”_

_“Oh shut up,” Kurt laughed._

_“I know a way to shut up,” the other boy smiled deviously. “I mean, if I could, you know, put my mouth on your nipple… Would that be okay with you?”_

_“Yes, yes, hundred times yes!”_

_“One yes would have been enough,” Blaine laughed and started kissing down Kurt’s neck while his right hand still played with Kurt’s left nipple._

_Ready to explode with anticipation Kurt let out a moan as soon as his boyfriend’s mouth reached his other nipple and sucked it in. Without thinking his hand found its place in Blaine’s hair and pulled gently._

_“Feels very good,” Kurt managed._

_“Yeah?” Blaine raised his head to look into his boyfriend’s face._

_“It’s a synonym for ‘don’t stop’, you know,” Kurt said slightly annoyed at the lack of stimulation._

_“Oh yeah, sorry,” Blaine apologised and went back to sucking on the nipple._

_“Wait a second,” Kurt stopped him. “I think we could lose the rest of our clothes. It’s something we are planning to do at some point anyway so why not now?”_

_“Fair enough,” Blaine agreed and sat up a bit too quickly. “I can see stars.”_

_“What?”_

_“Nothing,” he laughed awkwardly. “Okay, let me help you with your pants. I mean, you are sure about this, right?”_

_“Yes, I’m more than sure but your nervousness makes me think that you aren’t,” Kurt eyed him carefully. “If you don’t want to do this, it’s okay. Just tell me.”_

_Blaine shook his head. “I really want this. I’m not nervous about sex, I’m just worried it won’t be perfect for you…”_

_“Of course it will because I’m with you,” Kurt said rubbing Blaine’s thighs trying to soothe him. “Now let’s get rid of those annoying pants, shall we?”_

_“Okay, I like that,” Blaine said and crawled back so that he could help Kurt out of his pants and underwear. Soon his boyfriend lay naked in front of him. “Oh wow…”_

_“You are staring,” Kurt commented feeling slightly self-conscious._

_“I’m sorry, I could blow the candles out or not look if it makes you uncomfortable,” Blaine hurried to find a way to make Kurt feel better._

_Kurt shook his head immediately. “Thank you but I think we need to get used to being naked around each other. I don’t want to be one of those couples that only have sex at night or under blankets. Not that it’s bad. I mean, if you want to get under the blanket I’ll be fine with that–”_

_“No, I really want to see you,” Blaine said not failing to blush. “Should I get naked too?”_

_“That would be, yeah, you should take these off,” Kurt agreed pulling gently on Blaine’s pants._

_“Okay, just don’t laugh, okay?” the other boy pleaded and got off the bed to ease out of the rest of his clothing._

_“Why would I laugh?” Kurt asked and got his answer as soon as his boyfriend stood bare by the bed. “Oh my god, you shaved!”_

_“You said you wouldn’t laugh,” Blaine’s shoulders slumped slightly and his hands found their way to cover up his crotch._

_“I’m not laughing, I’m just surprised,” Kurt’s face became serious at once. He extended his arms to his boyfriend. “Come here.”_

_Blaine took his hands and went up to bed, successfully straddling his boyfriend’s lap._

_“Why did you do that?”_

_“I wasn’t sure how you would like it so I thought I would clean myself just in case. I realised I should have asked you first right after I finished shaving… Now it’s kind of too late.”_

_“Well, I like this look but maybe I would prepare seeing the natural you. On the other hand, I get to see your hair growing back day after day. It will be like my personal garden.”_

_“You are unbelievable,” Blaine laughed wholeheartedly. “You realise that our cocks are touching and we are talking about how my crotch is going to be your garden?”_

_“Well, at least it got you less self-conscious so I’m totally fine with that.”_

_“Yeah, you got me feeling better,” Blaine said and gently pushed Kurt into a lying position. “Should we kiss some more now or do you want to… you know.”_

_“Um, lube first, then some kissing maybe? If that’s okay with you of course,” Kurt suggested with hope in his chest, anticipating to finally get that magical friction everyone on the internet had been talking about._

_“Fine by me,” Blaine nodded and grabbed a small bottle of lube from the bedside table. “Okay, so should we lube ourselves or do you want us to do each other?”_

_“I don’t know how about you but I’d love to touch you,” Kurt said glancing at his boyfriend’s cock._

_“Okay, yeah, I think I would like that too. I mean, you touching me, me touching you, both sound good,” the boy stumbled over his words while covering his hand with lube. “Might be cold.”_

_Kurt prepared himself for the cold feeling but still hissed at the sensation when Blaine’s hand touched him. “More like freezing,” he mumbled while his boyfriend sent him an apologetic smile._

_“I think it’s enough lube for you,” Blaine said after a few moments when Kurt’s cock was fully covered with lube._

_“Your turn then,” Kurt smiled and took the lube from the bed._

_He spread some on his fingers and warmed it up for a bit to save his boyfriend from the cold. As soon as his hand was on Blaine’s cock, the other boy gasped loudly._

_“Oh you are the one to talk about weird noises,” Kurt laughed at him._

_“I take it back,” the boy moaned while Kurt continued to lazily move his hand on his cock. “I had no idea it would feel like this.”_

_“You know what would feel even better? Going through with the plan,” Kurt said and took his hand away, wiping it on the bed sheet._

_Blaine whined at the loss but couldn’t help but anticipate what was going to happen next. “The plan, yes, I loved that plan,” he said and crawled further up so that their crotches were lined up perfectly. “Here goes nothing,” he said as he lowered himself on his boyfriend._

_“Oh my god, it sounded like you were doing something dangerous,” Kurt laughed, ignoring how good it felt to have his boyfriend’s cock pressed to his own for the first time. “I’m sorry, it’s just so funny.”_

_“I know,” Blaine laughed as well. “Maybe we should try this some other time? I don’t think either of us is in the right mood today.”_

_“Agreed,” Kurt laughed. “Next time we are making out we should just go with the flow because setting up time is not working for us.”_

_“Yeah,” Blaine agreed and got up. “We could still shower together? We need to get this lube off of us.”_

_“Good idea,” Kurt agreed and they went into his bathroom together._

“It wasn’t _awful_ ,” Kurt said and closed his scrapbook. “Yeah, it was awkward and we didn’t even get to come but I still cherish that memory. It was fun.”

“I can’t argue with that,” Blaine nodded and stood up. “Have you seen my locket? I can’t find it anywhere…”

Kurt thought for a second. “Haven’t I told you? Cassie called your phone while you were in the shower. You left it at her place yesterday. She said she would bring it to the airport tomorrow. She will come with Mini Coop to say goodbye.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad they are coming and bringing my locket and all but you know, it seems like we are leaving for a very long time,” Blaine laughed. “With my parents’ money that I’ve saved I think it’s safe to say we’ll come back for Christmas. Maybe for Thanksgiving even?”

“Maybe,” Kurt smiled not really looking at his boyfriend. “Are you nearly done packing?”

“Yeah. I only had the gloves left but since I had my last training session with Lauren today I couldn’t pack them earlier.”

“How did it go?”

“Good as always. I’ll need to find some boxing club that allows slaves in when we are in New York. I haven’t looked anything up yet…”

“There will be time for that,” Kurt said and turned around just so that he would have an excuse to not look at Blaine. “Is Puck coming today or is he going to the airport with us?”

“Airport. He’s busy playing Halo at Finn’s place.”

“He probably thought we might ask his help packing if he had come over,” Kurt rolled his eyes and looked over the shelves. “We should take this photo,” he said absentmindedly and Blaine looked over his shoulder.

It was a photo from Kurt’s birthday. Everyone they cared about was in it. Blaine and Kurt were surrounded by their family – Burt, Cassandra and Cooper, as well as their friends – Rachel with Jesse, Tina with Mike, Puck, Finn and Lauren. Looking back at how most of those friendships began he wouldn’t have thought that he would have all these people at his birthday party. Especially when it came to Finn.

_After everything that happened with Karofsky Kurt didn’t feel like going to school. Burt allowed him to stay home for the rest of the week and Blaine used that time to his advantage. Even though Kurt insisted he was alright the slave boy raided the internet looking for tips and various exercises for Kurt to do so that he could deal with his demons after Karofsky’s continuous assault. Kurt hated to admit but those little exercises Blaine gave him really did make him feel better. He realised he had been affected more than he had initially thought and made sure to follow his boyfriend’s instructions that slowly helped him to get back to normal._

_On Monday morning saying goodbye to Blaine before going to school was particularly hard mostly because Blaine meant safety. He had no idea what was waiting for him at school now that everyone knew that Karofsky was sent to juvie because of him but he knew what he would be doing if he stayed at home – cook, cuddle, watch movies with Blaine, and just laze around. The latter option was way more appealing._

_He worried with no reason though. Nobody at school seemed to care that Karofsky was gone, not even his friends from the football team. It also helped that Puck was like glued to his hip, always by his side. Kurt wondered if he even went to his own classes since he was always by Kurt’s classroom door ready to walk him to his next class. He also wondered if Blaine had anything to do with that._

_At lunch time they met up with Tina at the corner table and Lauren surprisingly joined them for the first time. They were chatting amongst themselves when someone caught Kurt’s attention. Finn was carrying his tray of food when someone tripped him and he almost dropped his food on the ground._

_“I feel sorry for him,” Kurt said eyeing the boy with pity. “I mean, I don’t like him, he’s a douche but still… I think we went overboard with what we did.”_

_“He was actually quite nice to me at Biology yesterday. I couldn’t read what was written on the board and he gave me his notes to copy,” Tina said. “He might have a human side after all.”_

_“Hey, don’t go all soft on us,” Puck growled looking at Finn. “We had a good reason to do what we did. Just because he looks miserable now doesn’t mean that we should feel sorry for him. Remember what he did to Blaine?”_

_Kurt rolled his eyes in annoyance. “I’ll never forget that, Noah, but Blaine didn’t like what we did to Finn. I think he would like us to apologise. And don’t forget that it was Karofsky who really beat Blaine up. We could just apologise for what we did, we don’t need to make friends with him.”_

But they did. It started with an apology right there in the cafeteria and even though Finn was suspicious he accepted the apology. Later they started saying hi in the hallways, sometimes even exchanging some small talk before class. The real breakthrough happened when he and Rachel started dating again and so Finn slowly became a part of their company. It was awkward at first but when Blaine showed that he could be a bigger man and forgive his former tormentor it was easier for everyone else to let him in too.

“Oh, I like this one,” Blaine smiled still looking over Kurt’s shoulder. “You look particularly cute in that birthday hat.”

“I’ll have you know that I always look cute,” Kurt looked at his boyfriend pointedly.

“That you do,” Blaine laughed and kissed him on a cheek. “So, almost ready, huh? Looking forward to starting your first year at Tisch?”

“I don’t know,” Kurt shrugged. “It’s a good school so it’s probably quite difficult to study there.”

“You are very hard-working and I saw your designs, you’ll do great.”

“Hope so, but anyway, there’s still time before school starts,” Kurt said hoping to end the conversation. “Let’s go downstairs. I want to raid all other rooms to see if I haven’t forgotten anything.”

* * *

**August 12, 2014**

“You have your passports?”

“Yes, dad.”

“Tickets?”

“Yes, dad.”

“Money?”

“Yes, dad.”

“Credit card?”

“Yes, yes, yes, we have everything, I checked millions of times before we left,” Kurt snapped.

The morning had been tense for all of them. There was this feeling in the air that words couldn’t describe. They kept looking at their watches but time didn’t go fast enough while they waited for the time they had to leave for the airport. They were just sitting around not really feeling like talking at all but not feeling like doing anything else either. They were all in a weird mood and it didn’t change even after Puck arrived. He just joined their sulking.

The ride to the airport was silent as nobody wanted to say a word fearing of yet another useless fight. They went into the airport and checked-in leaving them with their backpacks only and Mr Honey in Blaine’s hands. Kurt took care of all necessary ordeals since Blaine didn’t have any rights anyway.

When they were done they waited for Cassandra and Mini Coop who were slightly late.

“So, afraid to fly?” Puck teased Blaine and pulled on the toy’s ear.

Blaine shrugged. “I’m not afraid of flying itself. I’ve just never flown in the slave compartment. I read awful comments about those so I thought I would have Mr Honey with me for moral support and to keep me company.”

“I hate the laws here,” Puck frowned. “Someone needs to change everything. Like… wait a minute… Papa Hummel, are you into politics at all?”

“What?” Burt looked at the boy confused.

“Hey, guys!” they heard Cassie’s voice and turned around to see her running towards them with Cooper in tow. “I’m so sorry we are late. The traffic was a nightmare.”

“Uncles!” Cooper shouted excitedly and went to hug Blaine. “Mama says you are leaving, I’ll miss you!”

“I’ll miss you too,” Blaine said hugging the boy. “But we’ll see each other real soon, okay? And we will talk to each other every day.”

“Promise?”

“Promise,” Blaine assured him and stood up to hug Cassie. “Thank you for coming here today.”

“I couldn’t not come,” Cassandra said and gave him his locket. “Here it is. Now listen to me, if you ever need anything, just call me, alright? I might be further away than I am now but I’ll help you as much as I can. Just don’t be afraid to ask.”

“Thank you,” Blaine said with tears in his eyes. “Just… thank you.”

“You should get going, boys, the security will take a long time,” Burt told them eyeing the queue at the security check. “Let us know when you land. And when you get ho… to the hotel. Deal?”

“Of course, we’ll keep you all updated,” Kurt said trying to get out of Cooper’s strong hold. “Buddy, I really need to go now.”

“Let Kurt go, sweetie,” Cassandra said gently pulling her son away.

“Okay,” the boy sniffed as tears rolled down his cheeks. Reluctantly he let go of Kurt.

The moment he was free Kurt hugged his dad.

“I love you, son,” Burt said hugging him just as tightly.

“Love you too, dad,” the boy responded and let go with a sad smile.

It was then Blaine’s turn to be enveloped in Burt’s embrace. “Love you, son,” the man said.

“Love you too, da… Burt,” the slave boy blushed at his slip up.

“Dad is just fine,” Burt said with a wide grin. “Now, off you go. You don’t want to be late.”

“Hey, I might be badass but I want hugs too,” Puck said and pulled Blaine into a hug. “Blainers, I... you know…”

“I know, me too,” Blaine smiled as they pulled apart.

“I’ll kind of miss you too, princess,” Puck said and hugged Kurt more tightly than it was necessary. “Take care of my boy, okay?”

“Will do,” Kurt said glancing at the announcement board. “We really need to go now. We’ll miss you!”

“Bye!” they all shouted as Blaine and Kurt walked away.

“So, how does ‘congressman Hummel’ sound to you?” were the last words they heard coming from Puck and the rest was drowned in the noise surrounding them.

The security check went fast and soon they were going towards their gates. “Worried?” Kurt asked taking Blaine’s hand.

“A little bit? At least the flight won’t take long…” he said and stopped at the announcement board to see which gates they had to go to.

“To the left here, I think.”

“Um, not really,” Kurt said looking at the announcements.

“What?” Blaine took another look. “I’m pretty sure our gates are that way.”

Kurt took a deep breath and without another word pulled Blaine with him. They walked for another five minutes until Kurt stopped them at the right gates.

Blaine looked up and his eyes widened. “What are we doing here?”

“These are our gates,” Kurt said watching Blaine intently.

“Paris? We are going to _Paris_? Why are we going to Paris?”

“Because I got accepted to Ecole de Condé to study fashion design?”

“Kurt…”

“Okay, fine, when I was applying to colleges I realised that I had other options than to stay in this awful country that won’t treat you like a human,” Kurt explained. “So I applied to a few places in Paris. We have a house there so we can live there. I’m sorry I haven’t discussed it with you first but I wanted to surprise you so… surprise?”

“I… I have no words, Kurt,” Blaine said and lowered his head.

“Please, tell me you are happy,” Kurt asked hopefully. “Cassie said they would come visiting and dad too. And it’s going to be like in New York, only the time difference is bigger but we will work out the time good for everyone to talk and–”

“I love you so much, you know,” Blaine raised his head finally. “You got into the school of your dreams and you gave it up for me… I will never be able to repay you…”

“Condé was my dream school when I was living in Paris so I just went back to my old dream. And I’d rather see you happy anyway.”

“I would be happy anywhere as long as I’m with you.”

“Cheesy,” Kurt laughed. “Oh and just so you know, there are no slave compartments in French airlines. Or any other European airlines. Which means we will be sitting together throughout the whole flight.”

Blaine looked at Kurt in awe failing to find the right words.

“I just… love you so much, Kurt.”

“I love you too, I love you too.”


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

**6 years later**

“Stop fidgeting, honey,” Kurt said impatiently and took Blaine’s hands into his. “Your suit looks just fine, you look amazing overall, and, most importantly, you have absolutely nothing to be nervous about.”

“I’m not nervous, Kurt, I’m just really excited. We haven’t seen them for years.”

“We talked to Rachel two days ago, Noah called us this morning and don’t even try to deny that you and Mike haven’t been on Viber the whole day. Just because we couldn’t touch them doesn’t mean it wasn’t real.”

“Yes yes, of course, you are right,” Blaine said and pecked Kurt’s lips.

“Are you secretly worried it might not be the same? Like, now that we haven’t seen them in person for so long, do you think it will be awkward or something?”

“Maybe?” Blaine asked with big innocent eyes. Kurt looked at him pointedly. “Fine, yes, I’m slightly worried about that. But don’t pretend you aren’t thinking the same thing.”

“That thought did cross my mind but I think we shouldn’t dwell on it.”

“Yeah,” Blaine breathed and looked around just so he would have something to distract him. “Where are they? The play is about to start.”

“If Noah forgets to pick up our flowers I will skin him alive,” Kurt growled and looked around as well.

As if on cue a taxi stopped a few metres away from them and soon a familiar face appeared. Puck took a big bouquet of roses out of the taxi and turned around just in time to be enveloped in Blaine’s tight hug.

“I missed you so much,” the man said and Puck returned a hug.

“And I see you haven’t changed, still as short as before,” Puck teased him. “Princess, good to see you too.”

“It’s time you matured enough to stop calling me that, you know?” Kurt faked a frown but seconds later smiled widely and hugged the other man. “It’s been too long since the last time I was exposed to your insanity.”

“Yeah yeah,” Puck rolled his eyes and gave Kurt the flowers. “Here you go. You can carry them from here. I had enough trouble as it is.”

“What do you mean?” Blaine asked confused.

“Well, I had to do something good for someone who isn’t me and you know how much I hate it.”

“Says the person fighting to ban slavery,” Kurt laughed. “Just admit you are a good person and be done with it.”

“Never!” Puck mocked offence and they all laughed. “Should we go in? The Asians will probably be late anyway. Tina’s ultrasound was scheduled late and– Fuck, you didn’t hear it from me, okay?”

Kurt and Blaine looked at the man with surprise visible on their faces but didn’t question further, just agreed to stay silent about their newly found information. They went inside a small theatre and passed a poster with Rachel in the centre of it. They didn’t know anything about the play since it had been written not long ago and never before been performed for an audience and also because Rachel refused to tell them much about it. She only told them that they would probably like it but majority of people wouldn’t.

The theatre was full except for two seats next to them – where Tina and Mike were supposed to be sitting. “Do you think they are okay?” Kurt asked glancing at the entrance.

“Of course, they are just running late,” Blaine said running his thumb over Kurt’s hand. “Don’t worry, just relax and enjoy the show, okay?”

“You are right,” Kurt smiled and the theatre slowly turned dark.

* * *

During the intermission Tina and Mike came in and they all fell into each other’s arms, Puck staying a bit behind since he never really got close to the duo. Tina told them she had been pregnant for four months but wanted to surprise them. Unfortunately, they didn’t get to talk much because the second act began and Rachel entered the stage.

The second part was even better than the first one and the play itself was success. The audience gave the actors a long standing ovation and Kurt couldn’t help but feel proud of his friend.

“It was amazing,” he said when they were slowly exiting with the crowd. “Rachel was phenomenal, she should be on Broadway not in a place like this.”

“It’s better to shine here than have a chorus part on Broadway I guess,” Blaine shrugged. “She got the lead here and what are the chances she would have gotten that in some Broadway musical?”

“Very high, actually,” a voice came from behind and they all looked back to see Rachel’s slave Jesse walking behind them. “Rachel was offered a part on one Broadway show but she really wanted this part.”

“Which musical was it?” Mike asked surprised.

“She doesn’t want anyone to know so I can’t tell you this, I’m sorry,” Jesse said politely. “She said she wouldn’t have taken any other offer at that point because this play was too important for her. She wanted the world to see that slaves are humans too.”

“I almost cried when her character was taken away from her family,” Tina admitted and leaned closer to Mike. “It might be hormones but still…”

“It was heart-breaking,” Kurt agreed. “And when she died trying to run away from her owners… I thought it was the worst part but it wasn’t until the heaven scene that I started crying. Beautifully done.”

“There was a heaven scene?” Puck asked confused. “I must have fallen asleep.”

“Of course you would,” Kurt said with a roll of his eyes.

* * *

Half an hour later they found themselves in a restaurant nearby where they had booked a table for eight, assuming Lauren would be there.

“How is she doing?” Rachel asked Blaine after they ordered food. “I was shocked she didn’t make it to the Olympics this year. I mean, four years ago she was unstoppable.”

“She had a rough year, a big trauma,” Blaine explained. “Her mom is sick as well so she wasn’t in a good place. I tried to convince her to come here tonight but I think she needs some time for herself right now. I’ll try to see her in a few days.”

“How long are you staying?” Mike asked. “You haven’t been here for so long there must want to do many things before you leave.”

“Not really,” Kurt said. “We are staying for two weeks only. We are staying at Cassandra’s so that we can spend some time with Cooper. There is no point in going to Lima anyway since dad is rarely ever there.”

“Oh, how is the _Senator_ doing?” Rachel asked with a big smile. “I was so happy for him and for the whole State as well. He’ll do well.”

“He is alright, thank you for asking,” Kurt replied. “He is insanely busy but managing. Noah is helping him a lot.”

“Never thought you would be into politics,” Tina said. “Thought you would be the one running from the law actually.”

“I’m smart, I work against the law from the inside,” Puck laughed.  “They would never suspect me.”

“I think it’s amazing,” Rachel said. “I mean, Puckerman was voted most likely to end up in jail and here he is, changing the world. I admire you.”

“Uh, thanks?” Puck looked at her with a light blush on his cheeks. “And you were nice to look at on that stage. Acted well. And stuff.”

“Thank you,” Rachel beamed. “I love compliments.”

“Don’t we all know,” Blaine laughed and scratched his cheek.

“What’s that?” Mike asked immediately looking at Blaine’s wrist. “Oh my god, it all makes sense now.”

“What does?” Tina asked obviously confused.

Mike pointed at Blaine. “He got his slave tattoo removed. There is only one way you can get it done. It’s only when–”

“–the slave becomes free,” Puck finished for him. “How did I not think of this… That’s why it’s the first time you came here. Why didn’t you tell us?”

“We didn’t want to jinx it,” Blaine said. “There was a chance something would go wrong and then it would have hurt even more if you had known about it. But now that everything went okay and I _am_ a free man I can tell you this.”

“I don’t get it,” Rachel frowned. “How are you free? Slaves still can’t be freed no matter what.”

“Not here at least,” Puck said, “but in Europe things are different if you are smart enough. I take it you applied for a French citizenship?”

“I did. You have to be a resident for at least five years to get it. And after I managed to get all the right documents there was still a long process of getting my status here changed as well. In the end I had to give up my American citizenship too.”

“Wow, and you couldn’t travel at all?” Tina asked. “You stayed in France only?”

“We did,” Kurt said. “We didn’t have to but we didn’t want to risk either. Better safe than sorry, right? We wanted everything to go as smoothly as possible. And while it wasn’t an easy way after all, it was still very much worth it.”

“Well, congrats, Mr. French man,” Mike said with a big smile. “It’s nice to see your wrist clean.”

“It’s still weird but good weird,” Blaine said looking at his skin. If he took a good look he could still see some faded areas but anyone who didn’t know about his past wouldn’t be able to notice anything.”

“So, what now?” Rachel asked. “Are you two moving back now that Blaine would be treated here as a free man?”

“No, we built a life in Paris already,” Kurt said. “We will only come visiting more often from now on.”

“Well, next time you come here let us know, okay? I don’t want to wait another six years before I see you again,” Rachel pouted.

“We’ll come to visit our family and you all are a part of it,” Blaine said with a fond smile.

“Cheesy,” Puck laughed at him and raised his glass of wine. “To family.”

“To family!”

They all clinked their glasses and cheered. Blaine looked around, his eyes stopping at the sight of his boyfriend smiling impossibly wide. Hopefully they wouldn’t be boyfriends for long, Blaine thought feeling a little box in his pocket. He leaned in and kissed Kurt’s cheek.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“Always and forever,” Kurt said silently and kissed him on the lips.

* * *

_To a place without fear, with no moonlight_   
_All I need are trees and flowers and some sunlight_   
_Where memories are being made and where the old one dies_   
_Where love ain’t lost_


End file.
